The Bible tells us that God's angels do his bidding; they're sent by God to do things on behalf of us, his children. The Bible tells of angels bringing messages to God's children, protecting them, helping them escape impossible situations, bringing them food, strengthening them, and even fighting on their behalf. A verse in the New Testament book of Hebrews tells us to welcome strangers, adding, "By doing that, some people have welcomed angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2)
The Bible doesn't clearly say whether or not each one of us has a guardian angel, or even if angels are constantly present. Angels may just show up as they're needed. On the other hand, since angels are beings in the spirit realm, where the dimensions of time and distance aren't a factor, the whole question might be moot. Regardless, our trust is to be in God, act on our behalf when God has instructed them to do so. Angels don't act on their own initiative when it comes to their interactions with us; every example in the Bible depicts angels as strictly following God's instructions.
One verse in the Bible, a direct quote from Jesus, implies that children are looked after by angels, and that each child has a particular angel assigned to him or her. Jesus gave us so little information that it's impossible to nail down any exact details, but this verse of Scripture is the source of the concept of guardian angels (especially guardian angels for children.)
"See that you don't look down on one of these little ones. Here is what I tell you. Their angels in heaven can go at any time to see my father who is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10)
When talking to our children about angels, our emphasis should be on God's care and love. Angels are awesome beings that deserve respect, and we'll be living alongside them eventually. But they're not greater than we are, and they shouldn't be worshiped or prayed to. Once, while having a vision, the Apostle John bowed down to worship an angel, but the angel told him not to, explaining that he and John were both servants of God.
Angels are not to be our children's invisible friends or guides. The only time people in the Bible talked to angels is when an angel showed up with a message from God- as, for example, when the angel Gabriel brought a message to Mary. These conversations always focused on God's will and message, never on the thoughts or opinions of an angel. It's God who is to be our children's ever-present friend and guide. He's the only one who can hear their prayers and help them always. Angels are only created beings like ourselves.
Talking about and teaching our children about angels can be interesting and faith inspiring, but if we take our ideas and thoughts about angels beyond what the Bible says, we send the message to our kids that it's okay to speculate about spiritual things that aren't in the Bible. That can confuse our children as they get older and are exposed to a smorgasbord of spiritual ideas and theories that come from the human imagination without any basis in Scripture.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
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