Jacob was on the run from his brother. Frightened and alone, he walked as far as he could, then grabbed a rock for a pillow. Dreaming that God was standing on the top of a stairway, Jacob heard Him promise, “I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go” (Genesis 28:15). He saw angels ascending and descending the stairway—going out to patrol the world and coming back to report what they had done (Job 1:6, 2:1; Hebrews 1:14).
Jacob’s vision of the angels inspired him for his grueling journey; and the presence of spiritual beings also encourages us. Scripture doesn’t tell us much about angels—they appear on the edges rather than in the center of the story—but it does tell us some of the ways they serve God and us:
• They reveal God’s will. Angels spoke God’s Word to Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds (Matthew 1:20-23; Luke 1:26-38, 2:8-15).
• They battle Satan on our behalf. Michael tangled with “the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia” and fought Satan for the body of Moses (Daniel 10:12-14; Jude 1:9).
• They execute judgment upon God’s enemies. Angels destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, the firstborn in Egypt, and will one day destroy those who wear the mark of the beast (Genesis 19:1-13; Exodus 12:23; Revelation 14:1–16:21).
• They protect us (Psalm 34:7). This is particularly encouraging. Have you wondered if you have your own guardian angel? John Calvin wrote that it doesn’t matter, for all the angels are responsible to guard each one of us. And “if the fact that all the heavenly host are keeping watch for his safety will not satisfy a man, I do not see what benefit he could derive from knowing that one angel has been given to him as his especial guardian.”
Angels are watching out for you!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Job 2:1-13
More:
Read 2 Kings 6:8-23 to get a picture of the spirit world around you.
Next:
What does the reality that angels are watching over you inspire you to do today? Why do you believe God created angels?
Tom Felten on May 9, 2014 at 8:57 am
Mike, so often we focus on the physical world and miss the affects and reality of spiritual warfare. Thanks for surfacing the reality that angels exist and that, along with them, God has given us spiritual armor to triumph over the schemes of satan and his minions (Ephesians 6:10-20).
Mike Wittmer on May 9, 2014 at 10:57 am
It helps me to remember that I am a participant of a story much larger than myself. A cosmic battle is happening right now, and we are the soldiers.
daisymarygoldr on May 9, 2014 at 1:06 pm
It is the stairway. Not the angels. Look at the stairway and don’t get sidetracked by the angels going up and down.
Jesus is the stairway between heaven and earth (John 1:51). He is God with us.
Jacob was inspired by the presence of the Lord Himself (Genesis 28:16), not the spiritual beings. Therefore, he named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”).
We are the house of God (Ephesians 2:20) and His presence is within us.
The Lord Himself is always watching out for us both now and even forevermore (Psalms 121:5-8).
One of my favorite Sunday school songs is: “God is watching over you”.
What does the reality that God is watching over you—always, inspire you to do today?