Your Guardian Angel?

 

Well, Christmas has come and gone. We have started a new year. One of our family Christmas traditions is watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas Eve. The really good news? It is on Prime and I can watch it without commercials and early enough in the evening that I can get to bed at a decent time for an old guy.

While I love this movie, there are many things about it theologically that are questionable. Clarence is one of those question marks and it is a huge debate, especially between Protestants and Catholics.

Do we have a guardian angel? Do we pray to this angel? Do we build a relationship with our guardian angel? If you want to know a summary of the Catholic viewpoint, watch this video by Father Mike Schmidtz How Guardian Angels Actually Work? I do not agree with him, but it is fascinating. I also am not condemning those who share his thoughts. I just don't believe his thoughts are supported by scripture. To hear the other viewpoint, which I share, read this article from the Gospel Coalition, Does Every Christian have a guardian angel?

All of this Guardian Angel stuff came to my mind this morning as I was reading Psalm 91, particularly this passage:

"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. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!" (Psalm 91:9-13)

Angels are created beings with free will. They are intelligent and choose to follow the Lord or not. Those Angels who follow the Lord are committed to doing his will. In 1 Kings 19:5, God sends them to care for Elijah. In Daniel 6:22, they are sent to shut the mouths of the lions. In Matthew 18:10, Jesus says this about children (followers):

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10, ESV)

I do not know if we have a guardian angel assigned to us. (If I do, I feel sorry for him. He has a full-time job and deserves hazard pay watching over me!LOL!) Yet, I do not believe that we need to pray to an angel and I do not believe I need an angel to intercede for me with my Heavenly Father. I praise God for whatever means he chooses to protect and watch over me, but I do not raise angelic beings to an honored, praiseworthy position even remotely similar to Jesus!

In each of the examples I shared above it is God who sent the angels to protect his faithful followers. I don't NEED an angel to intercede for me. Now, don't get me wrong, I NEED all the prayers I can get. Asking my pastor or any other faithful follower of Jesus to pray for me is a big part of my faith. But, I do not find anywhere in the Bible where we are given an example to pray to an angel or are instructed to do so. If I am wrong, someone should point it out to me. 

The most important part of my faith is I know God is watching over me. It is the Trinitarian God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who places me under his wing. It is the Creator of the Universe who sends his angel to protect me. I give HIM all the honor and glory and praise. If he decides to use an angel to watch over me, great. I do not need to know how all that works. I trust him and love his powerful right hand of protection in my life! I love that because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, the veil has been torn, and I can approach the throne of God directly! Praise God through whom all blessings flow!

"Therefore, angels are only servants -- spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation." (Hebrews 1:14)