Hi everyone!
I hope you’re having a spectacular start to your weekend! I’m posting a bit early this week because Ben and I leave for our vacation bright and early (well, technically it will be dark and early – 5:00 a.m.!) Sunday morning for vacation!
This week, I’m sharing a chapter from my latest book, a 30-day devotional called Pour Me Out, that’s all about making less of ourselves so that we may be used by God to serve and love others and glorify Him while enjoying the abundant life He has for us. For a limited time, it’s available for just 99 cents on Amazon. So if you like the following excerpt, I encourage you to head over there and check it out!
I hope the following blesses you and brings peace and assurance to your soul!
“If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” –Psalm 91:9-10, NLT
Before His death, Jesus foretold about the end times which would signal His imminent return. Suffice it to say, the picture He painted is by no means rosy. On the contrary, a gray, grim dystopia is described as we read about the arrest, persecution, and martyrdom of last-days believers.[1] Corruption, violence, and moral depravity will be even more widespread than they are today.[2] News of war will make headlines every morning.[3] Earthquakes and famine will occur more frequently and with an unthinkable intensity the world has never seen.[4]
It doesn’t matter whether you believe in a pre, mid, or post-tribulational rapture of the Church – or no rapture at all; the fact remains that as the final return of Christ draws closer, the world grows wickeder.
With all the evil and hatred toward the truth of the Gospel spreading like wildfire across the globe, our world has consequently become quite a frightening place to live. Recent tragedies such as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 remind us of the fragility and unpredictability of life. It would seem that just stepping out of our homes means taking a risk. Nowhere we go is guaranteed to be one-hundred percent safe.
The scarier this world becomes, the more comfort God’s promises (like today’s Psalm) bring to our souls. Those of us who have chosen to follow the Lord and accept Him as our “refuge” are supernaturally guarded from evil! (Feel free to let out a shout of praise God now…unless you’re in public, in which case a soft, non-disruptive handclap is advised, ha!)
I’m reminded of the Old Testament story in which Elisha’s servant rose one morning to see that he and his master were completely surrounded by the army of their enemies. The servant was, in today’s vernacular, “freaking out” a little! Then Elisha said these awesome words:
“’Don’t be afraid! … For there are more on our side than on theirs!’” -2 Kings 6:16, NLT
Perhaps Elisha could detect from the expression on his servant’s face that it would take more than an enthusiastic pep talk to quell his fear, because what happens next is absolutely astonishing:
“Then Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” -2 Kings 6:17, NLT
You might find this hard to believe, but Elisha’s servant didn’t witness anything out of the ordinary. Though we cannot see the heavenly realm, its heroic heralds, or shining soldiers, we can rest assured that they are indeed all around us as they were in biblical days; God has commanded them to be so![5]
What relief rises within our souls as we take a deep breath in and know that there is Someone better at protecting us from harm than our parents, the government, our spouse, and our own intelligence.
There is Someone better at protecting us from illness than health foods, the gym, and modern medicine.
There is Someone better at protecting us against evildoers than alarm systems, self-defense, and German Shepherds.
That “Someone” is the Lord of the angel armies, the One who shouts at clouds to make it rain, tells ocean waves where to stop, commands the dawn to awaken Earth, conducts the stars in their nightly symphony![6]
Take shelter in the Most High today, and you will find comfort in His everlasting promises.
Remember This: When everything you see seems against you, remember the invisible armies of God are on your side!
Pour It Out:
Today we’re going to visit a few Bible passages that include those supernatural, invisible warriors, helpers and heralds we call “angels,” or in the Greek, “ággelos,” which means “messenger” or “delegate.” [1]
Before we get started, however, we should remember that the Bible clearly warns us against worshipping these celestial supermen. For example, in Colossians 2:18, we read, “Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud …”
While the apostle John was receiving the revelation of the last days, he fell down to worship with awe at the feet of the angelic messenger sent to him. But the heavenly figure sternly stopped him, urging him instead to “Worship God!”[2] He reminded John that he was a “fellow servant,” just like him.[3]
So while we mustn’t idolize angels, we also shouldn’t think they are simply mythical figments of poets’ and philosophers’ imaginations. They are very real and play an active role in God’s kingdom.
Grab your Bible and then look up the following five passages.
- Daniel 6:16-28
- Daniel 9:20-23
- Daniel 10:10-20
- Matthew 4:1-11
- Luke 1:11-19
Go back to at least two of the stories you just read. Why were the angels sent? What was their mission? Do you believe God has commanded or will command angels to intercede in your life? If not, pray for the faith to believe that God loves you just as much as those He’s provided angelic help for in the past, and that He can and will watch out for you, comfort you, and uplift you in miraculous ways!
[1] http://biblehub.com/greek/32.htm (accessed March 4, 2014)
[2] Revelation 19:10, NLT
[3] Ibid.
[1] Matthew 24:9
[2] Ibid.
[3] Matthew 24:7
[4] Ibid.
[5] Psalm 91:10
[6] Job 38:8-34