There are Angels Among Us
On an
especially difficult day years ago, I was feeling broken and alone.
Slowly into my consciousness, I began to “hear” a line from a well-known hymn
that looped over and over in my mind with the words: “O know ye not that
angels are near you?” (Come Unto Jesus p.117 vs. 3) Even though I
didn’t see angels I began to feel them…
Over
the years I’ve had many people share with me their personal stories of angelic
intervention in their lives. I have been made aware of the privilege and
blessing it is to receive assistance from angels. It’s a natural occurrence for
the faithful to have the honor of their support.
The following are FOUR WAYS Angels can empower us:
1. ANGELIC TENDERNESS: HELPING US TO FEEL COMFORT
Comfort During Turbulence
A dear
friend, (I’ll call her Janet) shared a very intimate experience she had with an
angel. When she was seven years old, her mother had a nervous breakdown, and
had to suddenly leave the family. After the devastating departure of her
mother, Janet saw her father sobbing, and at this phase of her own personal
earthquake, she ran out to the barn to be alone and to pray.
While
she was crying uncontrollably at this unexpected and confusing departure of her
mother, an angel appeared to her and told her that everything would be
all right. She felt her spirit lightened and felt peace generated through
her whole being.
When
Janet returned to the house later, she found her father crying. She told
him that everything would be all right. An angel had comforted her, and
then with this peace, she now had the ability to comfort her despairing father.
Angelic Hope during Abuse
In a
similar story, Sylvia was a child in an abusive home and growing up she felt
very unloved by her parents. She told me that one day, when she was a
young girl, an angel came to her and said, “Don’t worry Sylvia, things will get
better!” She held on to that promise for many years, and after she left
home and started life on her own, things went in a beautiful direction, but it
was the memory of that day that pulled her through.
When we
pray for comfort, it is sometimes through angels that we feel ourselves calmed
and reassured.
2. “MINISTERING ANGELS” – FOR OUR PROTECTION
Was I Going to Die?
I was
on a 14-hour road trip alone. About 4 hours from my destination, I
started to become aware that a being was in the car with me in the passenger
seat. She was female and dressed in regular clothes. As this dawned
in my mind’s eye, I began to panic, and communicated to her, “Oh, NO, I’m going
to DIE on this road! And you’re here to take me?” But, I was instantly
soothed, and felt the words, “No, I’m just here for your
protection.”
How
many times have angels protected us in our lives? How many stones have
been taken off our path, so we can do what we need to do?
A Life Saved
A
neighbor friend, Karen, told me of speeding along on a road in a housing area,
when suddenly, she felt the presence of her mother, who had died only a few
months earlier. It was the first time she had felt her mother’s
presence since her death. She felt a calmness come over her, and began
slowing down as she tried communicating with her mother. At the precise
moment that she reduced her speed, a little girl darted onto the road after a
ball, and my friend was able to avoid hitting her only because she had just
slowed down. After that, her mother left.
Karen realized in awe, that her mother had actually come to save
the life of that child, as well as stopping her from making a grave mistake.
3. ANGELS OFTEN HELP US IN OUR TIME OF NEED
Angels In Construction
Elder
Enzio F. Busche tells about a miraculous time where help came at the exact time
it was needed. He was the Branch President of a Ward in Germany in 1964,
which had finally received permission to build a chapel. They were given
just a year to do it in. In those days, the members needed to do most of the
work. The one thing that was intimidating for them was the chimney.
It had to be built according to strict regulations or the fire marshal wouldn’t
approve it.
They
worked hard on it but made little progress. Elder Busche left the site at
10:00 p.m. very nervous about meeting the deadline. There were two
missionaries who had been helping, and without telling him, had committed that
they would not go to bed until they finished the chimney.
Elder
Busche recounts:
“The
missionaries had wanted to surprise us because we had been kind to them and
helped them in many ways. This was their way of blessing the members of
the branch. These missionaries claimed that, in the middle of the
night, strangers came to help them. They could not explain it, only that
there were men in white suits who came to finish the work when the missionaries
were dozing off from fatigue…As we came back in the morning, the chimney was
there, and the brickwork was beautiful…The experts later said it was the
finest chimney they had ever seen built. In that way, we were very
humbled again and shown that when we do our part and are in tune with
the Spirit, help is available and things happen.” (Yearning For the Living
God, p. 124-127)
Angels
can help us do what we don’t think we cando. We have the
privilege to ask God for help from angels to minister to us in our lives in
many ways, even to help us in frightening or difficult situations.
President Russell M. Nelson taught:
“You
may even want to ask God for His angels to walk with you where you presently do
not want to tread.” (Russell M. Nelson “Four Gifts that Jesus Christ’s Offers
to You”)
4. ANGELS CAN SHOW RELATIONSHIP or PROMOTE FAMILY TIES
Often
spirits come to visit before their birth and at times return after they have
died. Thousands have reported seeing these pre and post-mortal beings.
Pre-born Child Appearing in the Windshield
A good
friend David shared a precious experience with me that happened years ago where
he met his daughter before she was even born. He was in the hospital with his
wife who had begun the delivery of their 7th baby. The doctor
told him that he could go home because she had a history of long labors.
He told David that when her delivery was close, they would call him. David
gave his wife a priesthood blessing that all would be well, and then he left
for home.
As he
was driving back, suddenly, a young woman in her early 20’s
appeared in his windshield, and lovingly said, “O Daddy, I’m so glad to come
into your home.”
After
the baby was born, David recognized the same blue eyes he saw in the vision,
and as she grew up, he saw her become that lovely young women that had appeared
to him before her birth. This was an experience that he will forever
cherish.
Who Was that Child?
In
another amazing experience, my friend Kirsten Shared:
“Our
Family had gathered together after the first session of General Conference
to bless my son’s first baby boy. He wanted the blessing done in our home
with my daughter-in-law’s family.
“We had
planned a luncheon after the blessing so my daughter-in-law’s mother, Mavi was
putting out the food on the counter. While she was doing that she
noticed a little girl (around 2 years old) with blond pigtails,
blue eyes and a bluish gray dress quietly walking around observing what was
going on. Mavi got busy with the food and when she looked again the
girl was gone. She asked her daughter, ‘Who was that little girl with the
blond pigtails?’ Her daughter was puzzled and said, ‘Mom there ‘s no one here
that age, and besides, all the children here are older with dark hair and brown
eyes.’”
“About
2 years later another daughter had a little girl (Kylie), and about 2 years
after that the family again congregated for General Conference. I was
standing by our stove holding Kylie. Mavi looked at me for a short time and
in amazement said: “Kirsten, that’s the girl I saw walking around a few years
ago at the baby blessing!’ Kylie was now the same age that she was viewed
years before her birth. What a wonderful experience, that we treasure!”
Guardian Angels
President David O. McKay spoke about an enlightening experience
from his mission in Scotland. He knew that there are special
relationships that each of us has with angels to help us through our lives. He
said:
“Following
a series of meetings at the conference held in Glasgow, Scotland, was a most
remarkable priesthood meeting. I remember, as if it were yesterday, the
intensity of the inspiration of that occasion. Everybody felt the rich
outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord…“During the progress of the meeting, an
elder on his own initiative arose and said, ‘Brethren, there are angels in
this room…’” “President James L. McMurrin, president of the European
Mission, arose and confirmed that statement by pointing to one brother sitting
just in front of me and saying, ‘Yes, brethren, there are angels in this
room, and one of them is the guardian angel of that young man sitting there,’
and he designated one who afterward became a patriarch…“Pointing to another
elder, he said, ‘And one is the guardian angel of that young man
there. …’ Tears were rolling down the cheeks of both of these
missionaries—not in sorrow or grief, but as an expression of the overflowing
Spirit. Indeed, we were all weeping.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1968, p. 86.)
Insight Into Angels
President Joseph F. Smith
gave us profound insight about angels who minister to those on the earth:
“When
messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not
strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and
fellow-servants. The ancient prophets who died were those who came to visit
their fellow creatures upon the earth. They came to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob; it was such beings—holy beings if you please—who waited upon the Savior
and administered to him on the Mount… In like manner our fathers and
mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth,
having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have
a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again,
bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and
instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.” (Gospel
Doctrine, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1970, pp. 435–36.)
When we
utter a prayer to God, who answers that prayer? Is it the Father?
Is it the Son? Could be, but most likely it’s answered by angels who do
God’s bidding. These angels know us, and love us. They’re allowed
to help us through hard times as well as share in our joy.
Oh know ye not that angels are near YOU?
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