The Day I Met an Angel (from 31 Days of Encouragement – Beth)

“THEREFORE, ANGELS ARE ONLY SERVANTS – SPIRITS SENT TO CARE FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL INHERIT SALVATION.” Hebrews 1:14

It was spring of 2006. I was making my way down a mountain in the foothills of North Carolina. I was unsure of the route I needed to take to get back to the interstate. I had just spent a wonderful weekend leading worship for a women’s retreat. As I was listening to praise music and singing loudly with the windows rolled down, I suddenly came to a dead end sign. Surely this was not possible! I could not remember having made any turns off of the road I was following! I turned off the car engine and sat facing the huge side of a mountain.

I cried, “Lord! Where am I? What am I to do?” I slowly and carefully turned my car around and began driving. I was scared. As I retraced my path down the road, I came upon a small red truck moving very slowly. While my windows were still rolled down, I began waving my arms and flashing my car head lights for the man in the truck to stop. I wanted to ask the driver for directions. The man finally noticed my frantically waving arms, and stopped his truck right in the middle of the road. I jumped out of my car, tears streaming down my face and literally ran to the man. Standing before me was a large elderly man with a full white beard. I still remember the cracker crumbs sprinkled all over his beard and shirt. I explained my situation and he spoke with a deep southern drawl. I heard him say to me, “Missy, I am headed that way. You just follow me.” As I ran back to my car, I remembered that I was running low on gas. I turned and yelled, “I am so sorry, but I need gasoline.” Once again, he said, “Missy, just follow me.”

As we made our way down the mountain I began crying and thanking the Lord for sending this man to help me. I saw the truck pull over as we approached a small gas station. As I was filling the gas tank, the man got out of his truck and walked toward me. He said, “Missy, the interstate is five miles to your right.” I stopped what I was doing and gave this man a huge hug. I told him that I believed the Lord had sent him to help me find my way home. He quietly got back in his truck and went back up the mountain. I met an angel that day.

The apostle Paul writes in Colossians 1:16, “For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible.” Hebrews 1:14 calls angels “ministering spirits.” They do not possess physical bodies, although they may take on the form of physical bodies when God appoints them to do a special task. That day on the mountain, I met an angel, a “ministering spirit.”

Let me encourage you to read the “eye opening” experience that Elisha’s servant had when Elisha asked God to open his spiritual eyes so that he might be able to see the host of protective angels that were present with them. This account is found in 2 Kings, chapter 6. Let me encourage you as well to ask the Lord to open your spiritual eyes so that you too can see an angel or “ministering spirit” that He may send your way today.