My Unknown Angel
Posted in Daily Focus on Monday, December 30, 2013
"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10).
We had been camped out for almost three hours waiting for the arena doors to open. We had come early to get in line for a free concert of our family's favorite Christian artist. Normally, I avoid crowds, especially when I have four small children to navigate through them, but this opportunity was too good to miss. My children had worked so hard homeschooling through the spring, and this outing was the rewarding finish to a productive school year. We were all looking forward to praising the Lord with wonderful music and meeting new Christian friends.
Finally, the time came for the doors to be opened. We were only 20 rows from the entry, and we knew we'd get the choicest seats available. With thousands of people around us, my husband and I huddled the children between us as we inched our way forward. As soon as the doors opened, however, we felt a change come over the crowd. Like a crazed flock of sheep, everyone wanted to be the first into the building and began pushing forward. My husband and I looked at each other in panic and realized our children were getting crushed by the force of the crowd. We both tried to push back, but it was no use.
Then something happened that I'll never forget. An enormous man standing behind us saw our dilemma. Making a barrier between us and the crowd with his huge, football-player frame, he turned and shouted at the crowd, "BACK OFF! You're hurting these children up here!" Immediately, everyone stopped their pushing, and we continued filing our way through the door. As we passed through the entrance, I turned to thank this wonderful man who had delivered us, but he was gone. I quickly scanned the crowd in both directions thinking he would be easy to spot, but I never saw him again.
I suppose some would say we exaggerated the details in our minds or think this gentleman simply slipped by us without us seeing him, but I still believe, even to this day, that God used an angel to protect our children from being hurt. "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" (Psalm 91:11).
Lord, thank You for Your protective love that cares for my family each day. Even when I cannot see it, help me to remember that You will never lead us where Your love cannot keep us. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Comments(19 comments)
ALBERTA T 12/30/2008 07:30:19
I know there are angels, sometimes He sends "neighbors"...Once in Missouri, the headlights went out on my car. I prayed, "If I'm supposed to make it home to Oklahoma, please send someone to fix this"..a Neighbor came to check on the station attendant who was working there his first night on the job...The attendant said he'd been able to handle it all except for the headlights on my car. The hood was up, I never saw the face of the Neighbor, but he fixed my lights and left before I could even thank him. There Are Angels.
Tamar H 12/30/2008 17:19:33
We were on holiday in France and had ventured via train into Paris one day. That was the easy part getting in. To return back to where we were staying, Melun, was not so easy. The subways in Paris are notorious for pick-pockets and a seedy underlife and for my family of five, quite different than our home in NZ. We needed to get the train back to Melun and were having considerably difficulty understanding the French signs. (We speak no French). We entered Gare de Lyon train station and almost straight away got lost. I just kept praying "Lord, let us find the train to Melun". Amazingly we came upon a platform which already had a train waiting to go. We saw on the overhead signs Melun mentioned (amongst other towns). Looking around us we saw a group of men just hanging around - no doubt the ones all the signs tell you to beware of!! "Lord, we don't know if this is the right one". I turned to look up at the sign again and when I turned my head back, there standing right in front of me, was a little man. Whoa! Where did he come from?, I thought. He spoke to me in French and I indicated I didn't understand. Then he said to me "Melun? Melun?" I said in English "Yes, we need to get to Melun", and with that, he ushered us like a mother hen onto the waiting train. All the time saying with a huge smile "Melun! Melun!". We got on the train, walked up the two steps to the seats, all taking less than 5 seconds. I looked out the window and he had gone. Vanished. Disappeared!! All that was left were the loiterers. We know that, that day in France we were visited by an angel of the Lord. The Lord knew of our concern with our children being somewhere foreign and not as safe as we would have liked, but he was faithful and provided the 'escape' we needed. I know that God has provided help for us many other times, it just that we've never realised it. That day though - we did. It will always stay with us. Praise the Lord.
Tamar H 12/30/2008 17:21:11
I should have also told you that YES, it was the right train!!
TINA R 12/31/2009 00:31:11
This devotion was such a blessing tonight. Concerned and confused of direction for one of our children tonight I prayed Lord have your way. This was a reminder that my babies are His and He is always near to protect them. When I began to read tears came and assurance that His angels are indeed dispatched with His command and love for the children that we love so dearly. I am thankful for such a real presence of the Lord!
ROBBIN M 12/31/2009 09:12:58
One night while our family was sleeping there was a knock on the door. I awoke and as I was coming out of our room I realized our home was on fire. I woke my husband and grabbed my 5 month old out of her crib, grabbed my 22 month old out of her bed and headed to the front door. I handed my two little ones to two girls at my front door. I then went back in and woke my two oldest children. After everything settled down, I asked about these two girls who had been at our front door and no one knew who they were. I believe they were two angels. Everyone survived the fire and we have a new home. God's blessings come in strange ways sometimes.
Lynda A 12/30/2010 04:21:17
I have been so blessed by your daily devotionals.May the Lord reward you for His service. As a homeschool mother to a mentally handicapped son, I face new challenges each day and need the Lord on an hourly basis. I get "lost", and it is comfrting to be reminded that Jesus loves my son even more than I.
Lynda.
ANITA K 12/30/2010 05:22:17
All I can say is AMEN!!! God is just sooo AWESOME, like the song writer says, 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus...Oh for grace to trust Him more'. Thanks for sharing ladies.
EILEEN M 12/30/2010 05:48:46
Remember, you are also angels in the life of your young children. Sometimes it may feel as though you are not important but you are because you are there for them and protecting them. You show them the way to follow the Good Shepherd who protects his flock. How rewarding!
MARIANNE H 12/30/2010 07:29:51
I know that the Lord has sent angels to protect me and my children. Almost 16 years ago I had foor surgery 3 months after giving birth. I was in a cast. My 1st husband neither cared, nor foundhelp for me durng his work hours.
I was trying to get myself and my new son down a flight of 16 steps!
On the 2nd stepdown I slipped! I held tight to my baby, and began to fall as if in slow motion.
On the side wall was stucko and at the bottom was a glass showcase. At the bottom of the staircase, it was as if my son was gently lifted out of my hands and placed on the floor. He barely cried as I tried to drag myself and him to the phone.
He was placed inches from the glass, where by all rights he should have ended!
I broke 2 fingers, 3 toes AND had the wire in my toe bend beyond recognition! I was bloody and scraped. 3 fingernails were torn from my fingers. But my little boy?? Only a dime-sized bruise. Nothing more!
I felt the presence although at the time I did not know what to make of it as I was not yet a believer! I am now and praise God for His protection!
LARRY T 12/30/2010 08:50:51
I felt compelled to read Psalms 91 this very morning. Then I read
Alpha and Omega. I love when God does this. : )
PENNY H 12/30/2010 09:27:59
Thanks for sharing how God's hand is always guiding and protecting our children through His guardian angels. It is such a comfort to know this! I am continually amazed at how my children are still alive and/or walking, etc. when I see how many careless acts they have done as little children who are not so coordinated and/or wise. I believe there must have been many times, unseen by me or my children, that angels guarded them from severe harm. Praise the Lord!! I know too that God has guarded me and kept me safe at times unbeknownst to me. I can't remember any such ocassion off-hand, but I do know this to be true nonetheless. Thanks for the inspirational stories that have followed the devotional today. They are all so encouraging and comforting.
MANDI H 12/30/2010 20:16:14
I know there are angels!!! In sept my family and I had a man break in our home while we were sleeping.....thank god our little dog (who never barks) just happen to bark two soft little barks....we both sat strait up and were awakened before the man had gotten in the house. I grabbed both my daughters...ages 5 and 3 at the time and took them to the bathroom. As I climbed in that bathtub and held them in my arms I began to pray gods protecting power over us...the dispatcher on the other line was silent during this prayer... It came down to him getting in the house before the police made it and my husband shooting him....all while I stood guard watching from the bathroom doorway while my babies hid in the tub....god sent a protecting warning angel that night in the form of a lil dog named cookie who by all means should have been asleep under the covers...but just happen to be up and out of bed at 5 in the morn and abel to warn us of danger. God is sooo good and I thank him for his angels encamped around us during the most scariest time!
MANDI H 12/30/2010 20:24:27
Also not by chance I just happened to be talking to a lady about the break in two weeks later at a thrift store in town and a lady overheard me....she came up and began to talk to me about it and it just so happen that she was the dispatcher on the other line that night! She leaned down to my daughter and said " honey I was prayin right along with your mommy that night" I believe it was gods confrimation for me that he knows my name, he knows every move that I make ,he knows every step that I take, and every tear that I cry. I know ill be just fine because he knows my name!
EILEEN M 01/13/2011 22:04:39
Hi Alpha Omega. This is the last devotional I've received from you. Is there a reason they stopped being sent to my e-mail? Is everything o.k.?
HEATHER B 12/30/2011 10:20:00
After my 4th was born I was post recovery and very ill. An Angel named Grace came and held her colicky little body all night. She was te BEST nurse I ever had. When I asked the next day, there was never a Grace that worked in the hospital. I thank God for her and the gentle, loving care received. There are Angels among us....
HEATHER B 12/30/2011 10:22:56
Robbin M: I am so glad you are safe. Ours burned last month before Thanksgicing and it was definitely God who got us all out alive. May He richly blees you and all the goings on in your new home! WE certainly have been :)
SHEILA W 01/01/2012 17:00:51
I LOVE these angels stories.
18 years ago, 1 week before my wedding, my best friend and I were asleep in my parent's home. We were both awakened in the middle of the night by a banging noise. There was a fierce storm that night and we could hear lots of rain and thunder outside. After laying there talking about the wedding, we kept being interupted by the same banging noise. So we finally looked outside and saw that the storage door in the carport had blown open and the "wind" kept blowing it open and shut.
I went outside and tried to shut it, but I suddenly became aware of a strong burning smell and looked up to see embers in the attic. I ran back inside to wake my parents and realizing there was a fire in the attic, they quickly got my whole family out of the house. Only seconds after everyone got out of the house, the ceiling began to collaspe and the whole house quickly filled with black smoke! We had all escaped just in time and no one even had a scratch!
The firemen later told us that lightening had hit a nearby pole and followed the power lines into the attic causing the fire. We would have had no warning because there were no smoke detectors in the attic and no smoke in the house until the ceiling collasped. The fire was so bad that the firemen could not go in and had to let the house burn to the ground. My parents ended up wtih a new home and more importantly everyone was safe.
My husband has always said those were angels outside slamming the storage doors open and shut to wake us up. I agree. Eighteen years and five precious kids later, my husband and I still talk about how we believe God sent angels to protect my family that night.
CARRIE K 12/30/2012 13:05:40
Thank you to EVERYONE for sharing your experiences! I have an experience as well, but I\'m afraid I can\'t be brief enough to satisfy my husband\'s desire for me to \"get off\" of the computer! hahaha
Please keep these stories coming! I would love to read more. And, after I run an errand for my hubby, I may find the time to tell you mine. =)
Anoop J 12/31/2012 01:57:24
This site helped me a lot :)