ANGELS ON GUARD
And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then
the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the
hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 KINGS 6:17
Perhaps the most fascinating angelic intervention is that
which occurs when other people see a figure and the protected one
doesn't see anything at all. The Bible offers several examples.
The one in the quotation above describes Elisha, God's prophet,
seeing the angels clearly, but the servant seeing only the
opposing army - until his spiritual eyes are opened.
You will read similar stories here. Author Betty Malz gave
me the example of her friend Bill (who didn't want his real name
revealed). Bill, his wife, and two children were vacationing at
Big Bear Lake in California, near Apple Valley. His wife was
cooking on the open fire, and Bill took several photos of the
family gathered around the fire. Then he read the Bible, asking
God to protect them and give them a safe vacation.
In a moment, however, their peaceful surroundings were
shattered by six men on motorcycles, who seemed to roar out of
nowhere. One pulled a gun, demanding that the stunned family put
their billfolds and purses on the ground. Terrified, they did so,
and Bill, in his haste, dropped his camera too.
All of a sudden, as quickly as they came, the men seemed to
be stricken with fright. Leaving the family's belongings on the
ground, they turned, ran for their motorcycles, and sped off. Why
had they gone so suddenly, leaving behind the items they intended
to steal?
Confused but relieved, Bill's family gave thanks to God for
sparing them a terrible ordeal, then went on to enjoy the rest of
their vacation. It was not until they arrived home and had their
photos developed that they saw what the bikers had apparently
seen that night.
One of the photos clearly shows the form of a white-clad
angel patiently standing watch over the family as they sat around
the fire.
Louis Torres, a youth minister who now works in Mexico, was
the director of a Teen Challenge Center in Philadelphia. He spoke
to Betty's church congregation one morning and further confirmed
the Biblical perception of angels as strong soldiers who
sometimes remain invisible except to those who need to see them
in order to be convinced. In "Angels Watching Over Me," Betty
reports this story about a young woman named Myra, which Torres
told her congregation:
Myra worked for Teen Challenge at the time Torres did. Since
it was located in a rough part of the inner city, she was
concerned for the teens who had shown interest in receiving
Christian counsel. It was difficult for them to visit the center
because on the streets just outside, a group from one of the
local gangs repeatedly harassed them. For a short while each
evening, Myra was alone at the Center, and the gang bothered her
as well, banging on the door and shouting obscenities.
One night when the gang appeared, Myra suddenly felt
inspired to tell them about Jesus. Knowing the danger, she first
prayed for guidance. Yes, she felt sure she had heard the Lord
correctly. She opened the door and walked outside.
The gang moved around her and, keeping her voice steady, she
spoke to them about Jesus.
Instead of listening to her, however, the gang shouted
threats of drowning her in the nearby river. Trying to appear
calm, Myra walked back through the door of the Center and shut
it. They didn't follow her.
The next evening the thugs were back, once again banging on
the door and threatening her life. Still believing she should try
and reach out to them, Myra breathed a prayer to Jesus. "Lord,
let your angels come with me and protect me" she murmured.
Then she opened the door and was about to speak when the gang
members suddenly stopped their shouting, turned to look at one
another and left silently and quickly. Myra was surprised. Why
had they gone?
The gang did not return for several days. Then one
afternoon, to the surprise of everyone, they entered the Center
in an orderly fashion. Much later, after a relationship of trust
had been built with them, Louis Torres asked them what had made
them drop their threats against Myra and leave so peacefully that
night. One young man spoke up. "We wouldn't dare touch her after
her boyfriend showed up. That dude had to be seven feet tall."
"I didn't know Myra had a boyfriend," replied Louis thoughtfully.
"But at any rate, she was alone here that night."
"No, we saw him;' insisted another gang member. "He was right
behind her.
"He was big as life in his classy white suit."
................
Entered on this Website October 2007
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