Excerpt: Angels, both spiritual and human, act as God’s instruments, protectors, servants, and messengers, demonstrating His love and grace.

Author: Paul Johnson

Below are some guardian angels in my life.

1. There is a fellow in my Sunday School class.  He is 99 years old.  He has a daughter that is an absolute Godsend.  She hovers over him, caring for his every need.  He expresses almost every week how she has taken care of him.
2. There is a gentleman I know whose wife is in a memory care unit.  He comes in to have meals with her nearly every day.  He is an angel caregiver, even though his wife is unaware of it.
3. There was an 83-year-old who passed away recently while being in and out of the hospital for the last year.  Prior to her passing, she had her daughter, her brother, and her next-door neighbor looking after her.
4. Then there is an older lady, who has her daughter and suitemate in a retirement facility caring for her.
5. A precious couple I know has their daughter watching over them.
6. My own wife has been my supporting angel as I have recovered from at least two medical procedures.
7. Finally, there is a couple also in a retirement facility.  I believe their agreement is that only one can be sick at a time so they can care for each other.

As a caregiver for seniors myself, these are just a few of the guardian and ministering angels I know of in our midst.

Are these people just people or angels?  Let’s see what the Bible says about angels.

1. Psalm 91:11 says, “For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”  That’s all your ways, not just spiritual things but “all” your ways.
2. Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and He delivers them.”  Encamps around, that’s 360 degrees of angelic protection.
3. Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”  To “those who will inherit salvation.”  That’s us, folks.  And what are the angels doing for us?  Serving us.  Guarding us.

I think those three definitions would fit the people I listed earlier.  They are serving, guarding, and ministering.

Do guardian angels always have to be seen with our own eyes?

1. Hebrews 13:2 says, some have “entertained angels unawares.”  Those “some” didn’t see who they entertained as angels.
2. Have we all heard about the story of Elisha and the invisible army of angels surrounding him in 2 Kings 6:15–17?  The invading army was not going to be able to pass.
3. In Psalm 91:11–12, God “commands His angels” to guard His people with invisible angels.

So no, some angels are doing their work all the while, invisible to us.

As a side note, this is why I believe we need to always thank God for the things we see and don’t see.  It is better to thank God for something He didn’t do than to not thank God for something He did do.

Can we look angels in the eye and not know it?

1. In Genesis 18–19, three “men” visit Abraham; two later go to Lot in Sodom. They eat, speak, walk, and appear fully human.  Only later in the text do we read that they are angels.  Abraham talked to them face-to-face but didn’t see them as anything other than human.
2. In 1 Kings 19:5–7, an angel provides food and water to Elijah in the wilderness.  The angel appears briefly, but the emphasis is on quiet, hidden care.  This was another angelic encounter unbeknownst to the person the angel was relating to.

So yes, we could look directly into the face of an angel and not know it.  This idea is somewhat unsettling.  But not so much, as I will point out in just a minute.

So, we have guardian angels; seen, unseen, disguised as real people.

I believe there is one more kind of guardian angel.  I have already spoken about them.  I actually named them in the seven examples above. These are people God has called to act as ambassadors of His grace and mercy toward others less fortunate than themselves.

They are all angels.  How do I come to that conclusion?  By asking the question, “do angels always have to do the work?”  Isn’t it reasonable that they could work through us?  In other words, can we actually be the physical hands and feet of spiritual angels, acting at God’s command?

Yes, we can.  We can allow ourselves to be instruments of angels.  It’s called “being led by the Holy Spirit” and demonstrating the love of God to others (Luke 10:27).

As you are merely helping someone … You could be the hands and feet of a protecting angel.

So be that angel to someone.  It could be as simple as giving an encouraging word or helping with a task that is difficult for someone else, or as simple as offering a cup of cold water to someone, as it says in Matthew …

Matthew 10:42 — “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

When Jesus says, “those who will not lose their reward,” He is speaking to us as believers.

You can be someone’s angel for the moment, day, or life, and there will be a reward in Heaven waiting for you, as Jesus says in Matthew 10:42 “that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. - Matthew 6:19-20