Angels

Be advised that I am NOT an expert on angels. I know what I've read in the Bible about them, and I know what I have experienced first hand. And that is what I am finally, after a few years of silence, going to share. I feel that it is time to share my angelic experience.

A few years ago, at harvest time, I was driving home. I was not tired.  It wasn't dark out - it was after supper. I turned off the highway and headed north to our farm.  Our yard is about a mile off the highway.  The road is straight. We have a hedge of trees that encircle our 5 acre yard site. Within seconds of turning off the highway I was in absolute awe of what I saw.  Our yard was surrounded by the most amazing, glorious, bright white angels.  There are no words to adequately portray the sight that I was given the privilege of seeing. I pulled over.  I closed my eyes.  I opened them again.  And I still saw the angels. The hairs on my arm stood up.  But I experienced such peace and overwhelming gratitude to the Lord for allowing me to see what He had shown me. I couldn't even talk about it. And now I am finally writing about it. Now I feel that it is time to share my story.

I don't know why God, the creator of the Universe, the lover of my soul, revealed that to me. But the following spring, at seeding time, on a Sunday when we were at church, unbeknownst to us, our neighbors, who live right across the road, were battling a fire. It started, apparently, after we had went to church. The fire could have spread, so easily, to our dry, parched yard, but at the last minute the wind shifted and the flames that were on the way to our yard did not cross the road. I am convinced that the angels who I saw surround our yard the previous fall, were battling that day.  Thankfully, with the exception of a burned pasture, our neighbors did not have any other fire damage in their yard.

Hear these words from Psalm 34:7 - "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him; and He delivers them."

I have a friend whose daughter died. Her daughter was close to my age; she had cancer.  When she was in the hospital she had a visitor one night.  This visitor was the cleaning lady.  The cleaning lady had a name tag on.  She came in and saw that Crystal was awake; so she started encouraging her. That is what the cleaning lady did - offer encouragement.She  provided Scripture verses to comfort her.  And then she  left.  The next morning when Crystal was telling some of the nurses about the very kind cleaning lady she was surprised to discover that there was no such person at the hospital. Crystal and her mom are convinced that she was visited by an angel.

Hear these words from Hebrews 1:14 - "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"    And what about Hebrews 13:2 - "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."  I am convinced that my friend's daughter was entertaining an angel who came to her in the form of a cleaning lady.

Some people have the wrong mind-set  about angels. I've heard many times, after someone has died, that "God must have wanted another angel in heaven."  People, when they die, do not become angels.  Angels are created by God for a purpose. People are created by God for a purpose.  Psalm 8 and Hebrews 1 tell us that "we are made a little lower than the angels..." We do not become angels.

Hebrews also tells us that Jesus, through the experience of death, was crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory "bright with Eden's dawn light."  In that death, by God's grace, He fully experienced death in every person's place.  Hebrews 1:8-9  (message translation)

What a hope for this time of year - Easter.  We serve a risen Saviour who is crowned higher than any angel. His birth was heralded by the angels. He is worshipped by the angels. And we sometimes, might be witness to an angel. I was.

Time Spent

Ralph Waldo Emerson wondered "how much of human life is lost in waiting..."

We are "waiting" people. We wait, when we find out we're pregnant, for those months to go quickly so that we can meet who we've been waiting for.

When the baby arrives, we can hardly wait for them to start crawling, smiling, take their first steps, talk...

When they're older we can hardly wait for the milestones that surely, hopefully at least, they will experience - first date, first love, first kiss....

We wait at check-out counters, restaurants, airport security lines....

We wait, uncomfortably, for test results, prescriptions to kick in, water to warm up.  Wait, wait, wait...

We wait, longingly, for loved ones to come home - if they're away.. And then, if they've been visiting long enough, we wait for them to leave.

When we were children we could hardly wait for Christmas.  And birthdays. And summer holidays. And then, we could hardly wait for school to begin in the fall - we'd eagerly buy our new school supplies, new clothes, new shoes, and wait to be able to use them and wear them.

And we wait for the seasons to change. We're waiting, somewhat patiently, for spring to really come. It's snowing again.  It's frustrating.  There's nothing we can do about it except wait for it to warm up.

What do we do while waiting? What should we do while waiting? Worrying does not one iota of good. So, why not do something productive?  As farmers, the time spent waiting is time "not lost" but time spent preparing. The machinery, the crop insurance forms, the vehicles.  Being prepared for anything that might happen is essential. So while we wait, we work.  And we play.  And we worship.  And we grow.  And we, hopefully, gain some wisdom through it all.

Today, while waiting for spring, and wondering when it would warm up, I grabbed the camera and took a couple pictures. It truly was beautiful when I was "capturing the moment" - even though it's snowing.

Looking west towards our neigbhors who live right across the road.

The south view from our house.



Waiting - an inevitable portion of life is spent doing it. I wait.  And I am waiting.  I am "waiting for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own."  Titus 2:13

His very own. Hope amidst the waiting. What are you waiting for?