09 Seek Angelic Protection

Copyright © 2017 Michael A. Brown

‘If you make the Most High your dwelling – even the LORD, who is my refuge – then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.  You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.’ (Psalm 91:9-13)

‘The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.' (Psalm 34:7)

      The reality of the role of God’s angels in protecting us – these holy and powerful spiritual beings who remain invisible to our physical eyes most of the time (Heb. 13:2) – is often ignored or forgotten by believers, presumably because we know so little about them and experience their direct, visible activity so rarely.  However, one of their God-given purposes is to be sent to serve and minister to the heirs of salvation, i.e. to us as believers (Heb. 1:14).  They play a crucial role – often invisibly and behind the scenes, as it were – in protecting us in the daily spiritual warfare in which we are engaged against Satan’s dominion.

      It was a host of angelic forces that guarded Elisha in Dothan, and as a result he was faith-filled, fearless and untouchable by the Syrian forces whose military attack against that city was then rendered ineffective (2 Kings 6:15-17).  It was an angel that went out and overnight destroyed the overwhelming forces of Sennacherib outside the gates of Jerusalem in answer to Hezekiah's and Isaiah’s prayers (2 Chr. 32:20-21, Isa. 37:33-37).  It was an angel that protected Daniel during the night from the lions in their den (Dan. 6:22).  Angels came and ministered to Jesus and strengthened him on at least two occasions during his ministry (Matt. 4:11, Luke 22:43).  It was an angel that, in answer to the prayers of a desperate group of believers, was sent to release Peter from prison (Acts 12:5-17), and it was an angel that was sent with a message of assurance to Paul when the Roman ship he was sailing in was being buffeted in a raging storm on the Mediterranean (Acts 27:22-26).

      We live in days in which the unpredictable evil of demonically-inspired terror attacks (with their tragic and deadly consequences, including against church buildings and believers) is taking place regularly, even in our own country now.  So as believers we need to proactively and specifically seek and pray for angelic protection in our lives.  A response of human defiance in the face of such attacks, not cowering to fear and carrying on much as normal, may be understandable, but it is not enough to guarantee any of us physical protection from further attacks of this nature.  The spiritual reality is that the minds and thinking of people involved in perpetrating such dark acts of violence are inspired by demonic forces influencing them behind the scenes.  This is the message of Ephesians 6: our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12). 

      Psalm 91 is a psalm of protection full of promises that believers can pray through daily.  As we abide in Christ and walk closely with him in our daily lives, we are covered and protected by him (91:4); neither the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day will hold any fear for us (91:5), and neither will plague or pestilence (91:6); we can experience the special protection of God as believers so that nothing will touch us or harm us (91:7) and no disaster will come near us (91:10).  This is because God can give us specific angelic protection in our lives (91:11-12,14).  Through this, God has promised his children a level of protection against evil and the destructiveness of demonic activity which non-believers may not experience (91:7,9-10).  Angels are (and can be) sent by God to protect us and to keep us from harm, and to encamp around us and to deliver us.  When angels are with us, around us and protecting us, the evil of demonic forces cannot touch us!

      Perhaps you are not used to this concept of angelic protection simply because you have never heard of it or been taught about it.  Then start praying according to the promises of Psalm 91 for Father to send angels to protect and guard you today, just as he sent them to believers in Scripture.  Pray daily that he will send an angel to protect and keep you from harm as you travel around and as you go about your daily business.  Pray that your children will be guarded by angels when they are in school.  Pray before you go to bed every evening that he will send an angel to your home and bedroom to protect you and guard you during the night against spiritual attacks as you sleep.  Pray regularly that he will send angels to guard your church building and your meetings as you worship together.  And pray every day not only that God will uncover the evil terrorist plans that some people may be concocting and will expose them so that they can be dealt with before they come to deadly fruition, but that he will also send angels to guard and protect you from any potential terror attacks in the area where you live.