There are times in our life, perhaps due to sickness, sorrow or anxiety, that we need comfort and help. Such is the plight of all the children of men at some time or other in this life, when we reach out for help which we cannot attain on our own.
Does God hear our cry ? In Psalm 34:6 we read “this poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.” Again in the same Psalm, verse 15, “The eyes of the Lord are upon t h e righteous and his ears are open to their cry.” There is no doubt at all about it. God our Father cares for us. He looks down on all his children and comforts them.
In this same Psalm we are introduced to a wonderful aspect of the love of God in making special arrangements for his children and their care. In verse 7 we read, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him.” This verse opens to us a wonderful theme, worthy of our attention. In Psalm 91 :11 we read, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee.” How true this was in the case of Jesus. It was the angel Gabriel who announced his birth, and proclaimed God’s glorious purpose in him as king over all the earth. It was t h e voice of an angel that proclaimed to the shepherds “Fear not—for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
This was followed by a mighty chorus of angels, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, and good will toward men.” Not long after this we find Jesus being tempted. He was hungry and weary, exhausted by 40 days and nights of fasting in the wilderness. After this hour of trial we read in Matt. 4:11, “Angels came and ministered unto him.” There must have been many more times during his ministry in the lonely watches of the night while he prayed a n d communed with his heavenly Father that the angels of God ministered unto him.
There is no doubt about this when we recall the end of his journey, with his face turned toward Jerusalem. There before him was the cross. The time had come of which the scriptures said that he should be delivered into the hands of wicked men. We find him with a few tired followers in the Garden of Gethsemane. He lifts his eyes to heaven saying “Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me.” Surely this was the climax of his suffering, when he made his final decision to sacrifice himself for the sins of the world. Let us note here in verse 43, “There appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.”
At this point let us pause and consider. Surely if we look back in our journey through life, we will find our own hours of severe trial, times of great wrestling’s in our mind. Let us take comfort in this thought, as it was with our Lord, and as David declared, the angel of the Lord is very near to help and strengthen us. This was an assurance Jesus held in his heart. It is born out in t h e statement made very soon after when the mob came to take him away, he declared “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels ?”
This subject would not be complete if we failed to refer to the glorious morning when, as we read in Matt. 28:2, “Behold, there was a great earth quake, for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone—his countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow.”
To conclude these thoughts regarding the loving care of his heavenly Father in providing his angels to have charge over him to keep him in all his ways, we go with that little band of disciples to the top of the mount Acts 1 :1. Here we are told that a cloud received him out of their sight. There were two men (angels) standing by, in white apparel which said, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” What a wonderful assurance.
In all this we have seen that the whole life of Jesus was in association with the angels of God. Let us consider this subject from a more personal aspect. Paul says (Heb. 1 :14) “Are they (angels) not ministering spirits, sent forth to minister unto the heirs of salvation?” This means, does it not, that as our heavenly Father provided ministering spirits to help His son, our saviour, so He has provided the same loving care for us who are heirs through Christ of the glorious salvation God has in store for all those who love Him. Remember what Jesus said in Luke 15:10, “There is joy in heaven among the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Surely this then should lighten our burdens somewhat to know that there are many more for us than that be against us.
One vivid example in Scripture is the Apostle Paul, when he was converted, went with great zeal, preaching the good news of t h e Kingdom of God, with the result that he was hated of his own countrymen, even unto death. In Acts 14:19 we read, “Having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city supposing he had been dead.” Do you think we would be wrong in supposing that at this very moment in his life that the angels of God came to minister unto him ? We know it doesn’t say so here, but let us look at another difficult moment in his life, when the ship in which he was sailing was doomed. Acts 27 :33 ; He declared to those striken men, “Be of good cheer — for there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve.” Surely then we can take heart like Paul. For if we are the heirs of salvation, the Psalmist has said, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him.”
There is also a very sobering thought to this subject. We are told that God keeps a record of all our thoughts, our ways, and deeds. Perhaps we would not be wrong in assuming that the angels of God have something to do with this also. For we are told by Jesus, “He that confesseth me before men him will I confess before my Father and his holy angels.” Daniel also in his prophecy tells how God’s judgments will finally be brought about. Dan. 7:10. In this verse we note two companies “thousand thousands ministering unto” the great king who comes to judge. “Ten thousands times ten thousands” stand before him. How did these two companies come together? Christ explains in Matt. 24:31, “He shall send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds of heaven.”
How wonderfully complete is the purpose of God. So it remains for us in all our trials to take heart, for the angel of God is standing by to help, comfort and strengthen us. How we trust our Master’s word when He said in Luke 20:35, “But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more, for they are equal unto the angels.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One