Guardian Angels

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Guardian Angels

Exodus 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Exodus 23:21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

Exodus 23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

A Message to Young People

Sometime ago I spoke to my grandchildren somewhat as follows.

"Here is a picture of a guardian angel. (It was holding a picture of an angel standing over two children at play.) Do you know anything about guardian angels?" (No.)

I began by telling them about a time when I was traveling in the car. I was driving. My wife and six children were in the car. We were doing about 60 on a bridge passing over the Rio Grande River. Suddenly a loud commanding voice said, "Change lanes, the hood is going to come off that car!"

I was startled and immediately changed lanes. There was only one car in front of us and a moment later it's hood came off. Had I not changed lanes quickly that hood would have came right through our windshield. I was the only one in that car that heard the voice.

So how can that be explained? And how could I prove to anyone else that I did indeed hear a commanding voice? The probable explanation for the voice is that a Guarding Angel spoke. I certainly can't prove to anyone, even those in the car, that I heard anything.

A friend had told me several years earlier that he was traveling at night. He was going up a hill. He reported that he heard a loud commanding voice say, "Pull over!" He told me that he was so startled that he pulled to the side of the road and stopped. Immediately two drag racing teens came flying over the hill. One of the cars was in his lane. Had he not pulled over, he would have been hit head on.

So I continued talking to the children as follows. "So, you see a Guarding Angel saved our lives because that hood would have killed some or all of us.

Obedience and Protection - A Bible Principal

Now I have told my wife that she is not to go to a connivance store after dark. Asking a child, "Do you know why?" One child answered. "Because there have been several robberies at night and people have been shot by the bad guy."

So I continued to explain the Bible's doctrine of Obedience and Protection.

Obedience and Protection

Exodus 23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, (the angel's voice - verse 20) and do all that I speak (God's commandments as delivered by Moses); then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

The marriage contract is one of Obedience and Protection. At Mt. Sinai God married Israel. God promised to Love, Honor and Cherish while Israel promised to Love, Honor and Obey.

"Cherish" has to do with protection. A man protects his wife. That is his duty. The wife cherishes her children while the husband cherishes his wife. He also cherishes his children. In trade for this protection children are to obey their parents and wives obey their husbands.

Husband protects (cherishes) wife in trade for his protection.

Question: What was the husband doing when he forbid his wife from going to as convience store after dark?

Answer: He was protecting his wife.

But this protection depends on obedience. The husband might be at work. He cannot always be at home to 'force' his wife's obedience in this matter.

Now, what if the wife does go to the connivance store after dark? The answer, she has removed herself from his protection. She is now on her own.

Now, again, speaking to the children. "When your mother tells you not to play in the street. What is she doing?" The child answered correctly. "Mom is protecting us since it is dangerous to play in the street".

(Question to the child) "You remember that I told my wife that she was not to go to the connivance store after dark. If she did, would her guardian angel go with her to protect her, or would the angel stay home?"

The child answered, "The angel would probably stay at home and she would be on her own".

"Exactly". Then I asked, "If your mother tells you not to play in the street, and if you do play in the street, have you removed yourself from her protection?" (Yes)

Now, if there were a Guardian Angel, that you cannot see, watching over you, and if that angel heard your mother tell you to stay out of the street. Would the angel stay in the yard or would he go into the street with you?

The child answered, "The angel would stay in the yard. He would not go into the street with me."

I asked, "Then you would be on your own. Your protection by a guardian angel depends upon your listening to your parents doesn't it?" (Yes.)

Exodus 23:21 Beware of him, (the angel) and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

Question: When the wife goes to the connivance store, or the child into the street, doesn't that have to do with "provoke him not;"? (Yes.)

Question: And the angel not going with the wife to the forbidden store and not going with the child into the forbidden street ,doesn't that have to do with "for he will not pardon your transgressions"? (Yes, because, to go with you where you were told not to go would be the same as pardoning the transgression.)

(End of the conversation with the children.)

Conclusions:

(1) Guardian Angels protect God's people when they are in obedience to him.

(2) Guardian Angels have rules that they must follow when carrying out their protective duties.

(3) Imprecatory prayer enforced by angels is authorized by Exodus 23:22. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

When we are in obedience to God and attacked by an enemy of God, then we can pray for protection. Our prayers may not even make it to heaven. (Why?) Perhaps God had delegated some duties to angels.

Think a moment. The President doesn't personally read or answer all his mail. He has staff to take care of it. The President's 'angels' deal with the mail using predetermined rules. What they can't handle they refer to him for a decision.

You pray to God but....

(A) The Guardian Angel hears your prayer.

(B) If the Angel determines that, by the rules God has set, he has jurisdiction or authority to act, and then the angel will deal with the problem on your behalf in answer to prayer.

How do Guarding Angels manifest themselves?

The commanding voice.
Helpers out of nowhere not seen by everyone.
Angels in animal form.

The commanding voice. In this article above the commanding voice was mentioned as one manifestation of a guardian angel. There is a magazine titled Angels on Earth. The magazine presents it's mission as follows, ""A bi-monthly magazine from Guideposts, presents true stories about God's and humans that have played angelic roles in daily life. $18.00 per year. Angels, PO Box 1402 Carmel, NY 10512-9921

Here is part of one commanding voice story.

A woman was working I the kitchen when her husband called from the bathroom, the commanding voice,….

Then he called me: “Mary!” His voice sounded urgent. What can it be? I wondered, hurrying to the back of the house.

There was a thundering boom, like a plane had crashed in our yard. Dear God. I stopped short before I could reach the bathroom door. The back porch was a wall of fire. I couldn’t go any farther. “Paul!” I screamed. The flames roared. I couldn’t see anything through the smoke. Then a huge ball of fire shot up the basement stairs. God, help! It’s headed straight for me. A fierce blast of heat covered my body I raced outside. Seconds later another explosion, even louder than the first. The house blew apart. Paul! Where's Paul? He came running toward me.

In no time sirens blared up the road. Fire trucks arrived. An ambulance took me to the hospital. Paul — who’d jumped out the bathroom window — had no injuries. Severe burns covered my hands and face. I’d lost my hair and eyebrows. Our neighbors Betty and Bill Mann visited Paul and me in my hospital room. “Once I get out of here, I don’t know where we’re going to go,” I said. “Our house is gone.”

…. We’ve lost everything,” I told Paul when we surveyed the damage.

Later a forensics expert from Indianapolis examined our property and discovered a problem in a gas line. “There should have been no survivors,” he told us as we drank coffee in the mans’ kitchen. The back-porch area—where Paul and I were — was the only place far enough from the source of the blast for anyone to have survived. “The only spot,” he emphasized.

I took Paul’s hand. “I was only there because of you,” I said.

"What do you mean?” he asked. Right before the explosion happened “ I answered. “Don’t you remember You called for me to come while you while you were shaving?

"Mary I didn’t call you.”

"I know I heard a voice, though, strong and clear. It had saved my life. Could it have been my imagination? Maybe. But I prefer to think that an angel had been sent to warn me"

In the above story we have the commanding voice and a woman's obedience to her husband. It wasn't her husband's voice but she thought it was.

Two items in this Guardian Angel situation:

(1) The commanding voice. (2) Obedience to those to whom you are to obey. Christians obey God, Children obey Parents, Wives obey Husbands.

Helpers out of nowhere not seen by everyone.

Psalms 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Many reports of angels mention people and animals who suddenly appear and are seen by some but not others.

These angel stories have common features.

(1) Prayer - "call upon me in the day of trouble" and

(2) A rescuer or protector.

Pastor Peters, in a sermon, told of a person shipwrecked. He found himself surrounded by sharks. He could hear the cries of his fellows as they were being attacked. But in his case a white shark circled and protected him from other sharks until he was rescued.

In another situation a man was saved out of grave danger. Later he discovered that relative had, at that exact same time, awakened in the night and felt a need to pray for him. She did. What cannot be proved is the following.

(1) Did God hear and answer the "call upon me in the day of trouble" prayers?

(2) Was the strange acting shark a Guardian Angel?

Click here to hear this sermon.

I felt strong hands lifting me

That is the title of an Angels on Earth magazine story. Here are portions of that story.

A man was about to make repairs to a dump truck. The story continues;

To look at the gears, I’d have to raise the truck bed. I can’t remember the last time anyone used this hydraulic lever.

I flipped the switch, and the bed rose slowly, stopping at a 45-degree angle from the frame like the blade of a scissors.

I stooped between the bed and the truck’s frame. At that instant, I heard a sharp hiss and a screech. A tremendous blow to the head knocked me down.

“Help!” I gasped. The bed of the truck collapsed on top of me. Everything went black.

I came to with my face jammed against the metal slats of the frame. My upper body was pinned. I tried to move. Sharp pain shot through me, as if I were being cut in half. I opened my mouth to scream. No sound came out. I could barely get a breath. What can I do? John wasn’t around. Joy my wife, wasn’t even at home. Nobody’s going to find me.

The acrid smell of gas and gear oil filled my nostrils. The dark belly of the truck spun around me. I was suffocating.

“Ted, I’ll try to lift the bed of the truck to get you out.”

John? How did he find me?

“I’m going to use a metal rod I found out here. Try to stay calm.”

I heard a clank. The pressure lessened enough to let me breathe, but I still couldn’t move. I gasped. “Call 911,” I croaked.

“I already did.” It was Jack, my neighbor. “Help is on the way. Just hang on.

I wasn’t sure I could. I felt myself drifting away, slipping into a painless haze. From deep in my memory, the words of a Psalm came to me: “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you.” I prayed. "Only you are strong enough to help me, Lord."

“Hurry up, let’s get him out of here.”

“Someone go fix the hydraulics.”

People clattered all around me, but their voices sounded far away

“I’ll take care of this,” said another voice—a voice I’d missed. Morry? My brother would know what to do.

The hydraulics hissed and the bed rose slowly I saw two men in green denim overalls. Mechanics. The brims of their caps obscured their faces.

“That’s high enough,” one mechanic called to a third man working the hydraulics. It couldn’t possibly be Morry.

Strong hands lifted me. I felt weightless, like a feather. The mechanics carried me from the truck and laid me on the ground. Then I passed out. ...

“No pulse, no blood pressure. Get the paddles.” An EMT stood over me.

Ted, we’re going to move you.”

The pain remained, but I was almost glad to feel it. I was alive.

They rushed me to the hospital. The exams showed no injuries. They took X rays and ran an MRI.

“I don’t understand it,” the doctor said. “You should have been killed. But nothing is broken."

I spent the afternoon resting in a hospital bed with Joy nearby Jack and John came to visit, and I asked, “How did you know to come looking for me?”

“I heard you call for help,” John said. “I was in the house.”

“And I was in my living room.” said Jack. “But I heard your voice as clearly as if you were standing next to me.”

(Just wondering, was the voice that John and Jack heard Ted or was it the commanding voice of a guarding angel?)

“What about those mechanics?” I asked. “Where did they come from?”

“Mechanics?” John looked puzzled.

“You know, the three men who raised the bed and pulled me out.”

“There were no mechanics,” John said. “I was the one who pulled you out. At first you wouldn’t budge, then all of a sudden you just slid into my arms. Honest, it was almost like you were floating.”

Soon as I got home I inspected the truck. She looked as good as ever, except for some smudges around the hood and the door I got a rag and some polish and went to work, ..

The question is, the two mechanics ("I saw two men in green denim overalls. Mechanics. The brims of their caps obscured their faces.")

The two mechanics that were seen by Ted saw but were not seen by Jack and John guarding angels? Were they Guarding angels who came in response to Ted's prayer? ("I felt myself drifting away, slipping into a painless haze. From deep in my memory, the words of a Psalm came to me: “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you.” I prayed. Only you are strong enough to help me, Lord.")

The above report has these features.

(1) A prayer in the day of trouble.

(2) Guarding angels appeared from out of nowhere. (The mechanics in green uniforms.) The angels were not visible to some people at the scene of the accident. (Entertain angels unawares.)

Again.

Pastor Peters, in a sermon, (mentioned in this article above), Peters told of a person shipwrecked. He found himself surrounded by sharks. He could hear the cries of his fellows as they were being attacked. But in his case a white shark circled and protected him from other sharks until he was rescued.

Here is an animal story in the Angels on Earth magazine. May-June 2003

Shepherd with a flock of one

The bus stop was a scary place after dark. I'd called home to tell my parents I was working an extra shift at the factory; I should've asked them to pick me up. The bus was nowhere in sight.

I saw something pale flash out of the darkness—a white German shepherd. Was it lost? The dog looked at me. "You stay there until I go, okay?” I whispered.

My bus pulled up a few minutes later. I took a seat n the back and watched the dog until he was out of sight. I got off a block from home.

Again a flash of white across the street. It was the same dog. How did he get here so fast? He walked with me. I glanced back before putting my key in the door. Gone.

Thank goodness" my mother said, "I’ve been praying from the time you called until I heard your key”

My shepherd had his job. (End of Story.)

Recall the story above of the man at sea protected by the shark while a friend prayed for him. Here we have a woman protected by a dog while her mother prayed for her. Were these guarding angels in animal form responding to a prayer?

In another sermon Pastor Peters told of a woman leaving work at night. She passed a suspicious man. She reported her suspicions to a police officer. The man was found and it turned out that he was a wanted rapist.

The women identified the bad guy at police headquarters and in the process ask him, "That night, why didn't you rape me?"

The startling answer, "What about the two men who were with you?"

Helpers out of nowhere not seen by everyone.

Recall the mechanics in green uniforms that helped rescue the man trapped by a fallen truck bed. The mechanics were not visible to the other rescuers.

Here we have the guarding angels (two men) and the protected person did not see them. The protected person did not even know she was being protected.

Here again we have a prayer connection. As with the man lost at sea, there was a person in a safe place praying for the person in a dangerous place.

Colonel Jack Mohr, a U.S. soldier reports that, at the very same time he escaped a North Korean firing squad, back home a relative was praying for him. She was disturbed in spirit a felt a sudden need to pray for Jack. Did a guarding angel protect Jack in response to that prayer?

How the Guarding Angel system works. (Just speculating)

In many factories breakdowns must be fixed quickly. The factory assigns maintenance men sit around waiting for breakdowns. The skilled tradesman can read books, drink coffee, play cards, whatever. But they must immediately respond to any breakdown in their area.

Sometimes a signal horn will be provided for production people to call for help. Two toots might call for an electrician. Three toots for a mechanic and four for a pipe fitter.

Automated machines might be designed to let out a cry whenever anything goes wrong. The cry is a horn or other signaling device. Upon hearing the signal tradesman hurry to the machine to see what is wrong.

When a cry for help is initiated two parties are aware of the call. (1) Management. (2) The maintenance person assigned to respond promptly.

All across America there are fire departments. Firemen, like the maintenance men in a factory, sit about killing time waiting for a call. Upon hearing the alarm they respond promptly.

If there is no call there is no response. (No Prayer - No Response) Someone must turn in the alarm. The fireman do not leave the station looking for fires. While it can happen, the factory maintenance men do not wander about the factory floor looking for work. They would rather read the newspaper and wait for a call. (Prayer)

Is this how prayer and guarding angels work? Like maintenance men and firemen, they are assigned to stand by and respond if needed.

If there is a call (prayer) guardian angels respond if it is their job. To explain; electricians do not respond to a call for a pipe fitter. Mechanics do not respond when the call is for an electrician.

Perhaps angels do not respond for a disobedient wife who goes to a convience store after dark contrary to her husband's instructions.

Or Guardian Angels do not watch over rebellious teenagers who defy their parent's instruction to be home by 9:00 P.M. It's the obedience / protection rule. And the principle of Exodus 23:21

Exodus 23:21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

The convience store might be outside of the angel's jurisdiction since the husband forbid the wife going there at that time of day. She has removed herself from his protection and is on her own. (This would be a case of 'not his job'.)

The angel might just be 'off duty' with regard to the teenager away from home beginning at 9:00 P.M. After nine PM the rebellious youth is on his own. By disobeying his parent, he has removed himself from God's protection.

Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Deuteronomy 5:16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Do not provoke God or his angels.

Teenagers: Don't die young in a car wreck because your rebellion against authority and your parents removed you from God's protection.

Wives: 1 Peter 3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; ..... (Comment - If you wives insist on 'wearing the pants' then family protection is no longer the husband's responsibility or God's or the Guardian Angel's responsibility.)

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