Angels Among Us: Oh, I believe.
There’s a song by the country band Alabama called Angels Among Us.
It carries a comforting message about help coming to us in our darkest hours.
I can imagine there are many stories we could tell on this very subject.
But today I want to share my own story of God’s loving care.
It was 2011, and my son was about nine years old. We were at a birthday party where the children were swimming in a mountain creek. He got caught in the current, and it carried him quickly downstream.
I could hear him crying for help. I ran along the path beside the creek, but the embankment was so steep I couldn’t get down to him. I was panicking, as any mom would.My words were simple: “God, help me!”
A man came out of nowhere and ran ahead of me.
Somehow he got down the bank,
stretched out his hand,
and pulled my son to safety.I rushed down to where they were. At that moment, I was concentrating on my son and was so very grateful that this man had helped us.
Once I knew my son was safe, I turned to thank the man for his help to us.But he was gone. He was not there. He was nowhere.
I remember vividly asking everyone if they had seen him or knew where he had gone. No one knew who I was talking about.
I searched but I never found him, and I never saw him again.
I had witnessed a rescue and an unexplained departure.
It was a day I would never forget.
When I got home and told my husband what had happened, I said, “I believe I have been helped by an angel today. A literal angel.”
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
— Hebrews 1:14 (ESV)
Throughout Scripture, we see angels as powerful agents of God’s care. I think of them as His special agents.
Psalm 103:20 describes them as mighty ones who do His word and obey His voice. They minister at His direction.
That day at the river, I believe God sent an angel to help us in a great time of need.
We may never know how often God has cared for us in ways we couldn’t see.
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”
— Psalm 34:7 (ESV)
I love that word encamps. It gives me a picture of a military encampment surrounding those it is there to protect. What a comfort to know that the Lord is attentive to His people and that His angels stand ready to act at His command.
I often pray at night, or even throughout the day, asking God to use His mighty angels to protect my home and my family. Sometimes before a drive or when one of my children is on the road, I ask Him for protection and for help trusting Him with what I cannot see.
We can respond to God’s care, seen and unseen, with thankfulness and assurance:
- Praying: Bringing the people and situations beyond our reach to God.
- Remembering: Giving thanks for specific mercies we have received.
- Trusting: Resting in His character when we cannot see how He is working.
God’s messengers can be at work even when we cannot see them.
I never learned that man’s name, but I have never forgotten God’s mercy that day. And I will never cease to thank Him for His tender care.
Perhaps you, too, can think of a time when you saw God’s hand at work in a way you still cannot explain.
Who knows? Perhaps you, too, have witnessed an angel among you.
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