THE RELIGION CORNER: Angels Watching Over Me!

“All night, all day, angels watching over me, my Lord. All night, all day, angels watching over me.” — “All Night, All Day” (Traditional)

How many of you remember the prayer we said each and every night before we went to bed? “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

That prayer was, and still is, very powerful. As children, we got on our knees and put our hands together to pray that special prayer every night, not truly understanding what it really meant.

This year, during this Thanksgiving holiday season, let us remember how God’s angels are truly watching over us. He makes this point extremely clear in Scriptures throughout the Bible. Let’s take a look:

• “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” — Psalm 91:11-12

God offers His pure and selfless love through the use of His angels. God commands many angels to guard us. God commands those faithful spirits who are nearest to Him, who come from Him and are marked by Him to guard us in all our ways. God’s promise through the psalmist to Jesus applies to us as well.

• “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” — Exodus 23:20

It is here that the Lord promises the Israelites that they would be guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the Promised Land of Canaan. This was no ordinary angel either. This was the Angel of the Lord, an Old Testament manifestation of Christ Himself.

• “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” — Hebrews 1:14

Angels are sent by God to protect us and help us inherit His full kingdom. The Bible tells us that angels are His servants, carrying out His will and work for our good. We know from this verse from Hebrews that angels are ministering spirits, sent to serve those who are going to receive salvation. By definition, salvation is deliverance from sin and its consequences brought about by faith in Jesus Christ.

• “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” — Hebrews 13:2.

We are called in this verse to be hospitable or friendly to those we don’t know. The Bible tells us that some have entertained, or hosted messengers of God, unaware. When we meet strangers, we should be careful how we treat them because it could be someone that was sent by God to help us or protect us. We don’t know what God is trying to do or what He is trying to accomplish but we know that it is a part of His good and perfect will.

• “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.” — Revelation 5:11-12.

My earthly father’s favorite chapter in the Bible. We know from these verses that there are millions of angels encircling God’s throne and glorifying the Lord. We see a different side of angels here, discovering they are more than protectors but also powerful glorifiers of the Lord.

Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, visit her website, www.lyndiagrantshow.com, email lyndiagrant@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on Twitter @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.