Unseen Angels

December 5, 2017

Driving into town early this morning, out of the corner of my eye I spotted a deer standing in the ditch by the side of the road, looking like she was about ready to leap. Had she done so, there is no way I could have avoided hitting her, but she just stood there. This has not always been the case. I’ve never actually hit one, but I’ve had them hit me, jumping into the side of the car. Some years ago, I got on intimate terms with one when he shattered the driver’s side window and caved in the door. But this one just stood there, and as I drove by, I thanked God for whatever angel he had sent to hold that deer back.

That motionless deer got me to thinking about unseen angels. The Scriptures tell us that this world is populated not only by the people we can see, but also by spiritual beings both good and evil that remain invisible, off our human radar. Occasionally, they manifest themselves. Elisha’s servant was terrified of the Syrian armies that had surrounded the city preparatory to an attack. Elisha prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes, and suddenly that fearful attendant saw the enemy armies surrounded by a much larger company of the flaming chariots of God. Various prophets and sages occasionally saw things of which we are usually oblivious. Isaiah saw the throne of God, high and lifted up; Ezekiel saw his wheels, while Daniel, Zechariah, and St. John recorded numerous visions.

I have friends who claim to be able to see such things, usually of a demonic nature. One claimed to see them all over Lily Dale, the Spiritualist community nearby. I prayer walked there for about thirteen years, and all I ever saw was a sleepy village populated by mostly ordinary people. I once spoke of my prayer walking and my puzzlement as to why God would lead me to do such a thing when I was so clueless about such things. A woman who grew up there and later came to Christ told me that it was my cluelessness that was my defense. She told me she remained so sensitive to the spirituality of the place that she couldn’t even go near it anymore. My inability to communicate in that realm she saw as a blessing.

I’m glad there are some who see things to which I am blind. My world is pretty much what I see. The world of higher math (anything more than knee high) is completely foreign to me, as is computer science and angelic visitations. Maybe someday God will grant me the ability to see that spiritual realm, but until he does, I have to trust those who see differently than I. In the meantime, I’ll measure their claims against the Biblical record, and thank God for the many times (most of which I am assuredly unaware) his messengers have stepped in on my behalf.