Delia Latham, author of Kylie’s Kiss and the Solomon’s Gate series, provides thoughts on angels for us today. See the bottom of the post for details on the contests you can enter, today through Thursday.
Psalm 91:11 – For he shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
My guess is that not one person who reads this post will find the above verse of scripture unfamiliar. It’s often quoted in sermons, used as memory verse material, and is a favorite to print on plaques and other decorative items. While not everyone will be able to say where the verse is located, most folks will know it’s from the Bible, and can pretty much quote it word for word.
That’s good. Or is it?
An old saying suggests that with familiarity comes contempt…or disregard. For example, consider the items hanging on your walls, or the scenery outside your home. Chances are, they’re so much a part of your life that they’ve become invisible. If asked to do so, you could describe them right down to the last detail. But when you walk through the rooms in your house, how often do you actually see what’s on the walls? Someone recently asked me if I still owned a certain picture that has hung in my home for years. “Yes,” I replied. “It’s hanging in my—” At this point, I stopped, because I couldn’t remember. I hadn’t noticed it in a long time.
I closed my eyes, deliberately pictured my home, room to room and wall to wall, and finally located that picture. In my living room, where I see it every day. Or rather, where I don’t see it every day.
Unfortunately, I fear that’s what happens to us in regard to God’s Word, as well. Take that verse of scripture from Psalms 91:11…
In the Solomon’s Gate series, Destiny May’s mother kind of “bequeaths” this scripture to her daughter just before she dies (Book One). While my heroine is touched by the gesture, she doesn’t give her mother’s dying words serious thought. The verse is so familiar that she doesn’t really see what it promises her.
Until angels start showing up in her life.
Before long Destiny is forced to take a deeper look, and she finally gets it. She sees beyond the familiar to the fullness of this very personal promise: God had given His angels charge over her, to keep her in ALL her ways.
The word “all” covers a tremendous amount of territory. Job. Family. Friends. Home. Bills. Hobbies. Relationships. The little things and the big things, the important ones and the trivial.
Now look beyond the word “all” to WHO is keeping you in all your ways. Angels.
They’re out there. God’s Word isn’t a fairy tale. Every word is a fact. Including the word “angels,” and the promise that they are with us.
Sometimes they’re not visible to our human vision. Sometimes, I firmly believe they are, but our pitiful human minds refuse to connect the dots. Consider Hebrews 13:2, with its unapologetic directive: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Who’s to say the homeless man on the corner, the one who waves to you each day as you pass by, is not one of your angels? And what about the quiet woman who always seems to be at the next table in your favorite local café? Remember the stranger who chased you down with your purse when you left it behind in the busy mall?
Is it possible? Yes. It is.
God’s special messengers, His angels, have charge over you. They’re with you every step you take, every decision you make. When you think you’re alone…you’re not. The things you fear, you shouldn’t, because angels have your back. Even when we don’t feel them, when we don’t see them, when we forget their existence…they are there. Guarding, protecting, guiding and teaching.
Keeping. Keeping us in all our ways.
Isn’t that just like God? Using His heavenly creatures to take care of us, His earthly children.
That’s a promise to cherish. All of it. Every word.
Precious Father, I thank You for being so concerned with my well-being that You would assign your holy angels to light my path and guide my steps, to keep me in every way. Help me to look beyond the familiar, to the fullness of all that You’ve promised me. Open my eyes to see the possibilities in every person that I come in contact with. Above all, create in me a clean heart and a right spirit, so when someone looks at me, they see a reflection of You. I ask these things in Your precious, holy name. Amen.
*****
This post is part of a blog tour promoting Latham’s book Kylie’s Kiss. You become eligible to win prizes in a drawing by commenting today through Thursday on this blog and any of the others in the tour. Latham will be giving away four PDF copies of Solomon’s Gate books, your choice. Comments left TODAY make you eligible for a drawing to win a lovely anointing-oil-bottle necklace.
Disclaimer: The prizes from the one collective drawing from all the blogs participating in this blog blitz will be shipped by the author. Give-aways are void where prohibited and are open to US residents only.
Here are the other participating blogs:
Donna Basinow
Pamela S. Thibodeaux
Lena Nelson Dooley
Barbara Hartzler
Barbara Hartzler at Examiner.com
Linda Wagner
Anne K. Albert
Tracy Krauss
Robin Bayne
Edwina Cowgill
Susan Hollaway
Patty Wysong (June 27-28)
Shellie Neumeier
Liz Tolsma
Teresa Slack
Rose McCauley
Jeannie Campbell
Nike Chillemi
Jo Huddleston
Clare Revell
Andrea Strong
Phyllis Wheeler
Elaine Cantrell
Cheryl St. John
Hi, Phyllis! I’m Kylie Matthews, the heroine of Delia’s book, Kylie’s Kiss. She sent me ahead to say thank you so much for hosting us, and to greet your readers. I’m so excited about what God did for me in Kylie’s Kiss, and my own introduction to angels in that story. Have any of you had an angelic encounter? Would you like to? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
Please enter me for the necklace. I believe in the power of anointing oil. Thank you.
I’m not sure what’s going on with the comments…I’ve left several scattered around the web today, and a large portion of them have simply disappeared. I apologize to you, Phyllis, and to any other commenters who might have stopped in expecting to see comments from Kylie and me. I hope you enjoyed the guest post, and I’m curious how you feel about the idea of angels in your life? 🙂
I have never felt I was in the presence of an angel with a physical body. But I can definitely often feel the presence of ahem dark angels. They are common and everywhere, I can tell you that. I am so glad for the Holy Spirit, who enables us to turn away from the darkness that is around us and in us. Spiritual warfare is so real, and so hidden from most people.
I certainly hope to recognize a real angel someday. I am sure they are common and everywhere too. I think my guardian angel is the one who wakes me up at the right time when I forget to set my alarm clock. That’s what a nun told me once.
Phyllis, I completely agree – there are dark spirits around, just as there are angels – and that’s why God gave us the angels…for our spiritual protection.
You could be right about the alarm clock thing… 🙂
Nice post and nice prayer. This is a good reminder that, yes, we do become familiar and take things for granted too often. When I am mindful I see miracles everyday…but if I forget to pay attention then I won’t recognize them.
I’d love to read this series.
Thanks. mesreadsATgmail.com
You’ll love these books!
Being “mindful,” Martha – that’s so important. Yet God knows our human tendency to NOT be mindful…and how wonderful that He stands ready to forgive us!
Nehemiah 9:16-17 – But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.