Do We Really Have a Guardian Angel?

And yet, at the opposite end of the fence, you will come across inspiring stories of people rescued by angels from life-threatening scenarios. Stories that bear witness to God’s abiding love and compassion.

What Is a Guardian Angel?

A guardian angel is a spiritual being God has entrusted with the responsibility of providing protection, encouragement, comfort, and guidance to His children.

Here are instances where God’s angels guided and stood guard over His people:

1. Peter was freed from prison by an angel.

“Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.” Acts 12:6-7, NIV

2. God sent an angel to guard and protect the Israelites on their journey through the desert.

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” Exodus 23:20, NIV

3. Two angels of the Lord rescued Lot and his family from the city of Sodom before it was completely burned to the ground. 

“As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, 'Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.'” But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.“ Genesis 19:15-16

4. An angel guided and instructed Philip on what route to take.

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

The aforementioned biblical accounts demonstrate that God assigns angels to protect the faithful in perilous circumstances. Nonetheless, all of the above angelic encounters occurred during the biblical era. What about in today's world? Are angels still protecting people today?

Furthermore, here is the dilemma many people struggle with:

Knowing that there are countless victims of abuse and oppression, we cannot help but ask, "Where are the angels that are supposed to protect them?" 

Even men of God in ancient days questioned God time and again:

“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?” Habakkuk 1:2

God’s Silence 

I still struggle to deal with God’s silent response to the plight of the vulnerable, particularly children. However, despite my critical stance concerning God's silence over atrocities inflicted upon the innocent, He is still my God. There is no other I can entrust my life with.

Throughout the Bible, God berated and punished those who questioned His decisions. But there were also times when He tolerated dissent when the objection was justified.

Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel once said, “A good Jew [or a good man] can be with God and against God but not without God.”

Reasoning with God does not make you ungodly. You will not provoke God’s wrath if you oppose His silence concerning injustice. However, dissenting views should be expressed with reverence because we are fundamentally speaking to The Most High.

And whenever we catch ourselves doubting God’s goodness, think of the marvelous things He has done for us all, His sacrifice on the cross for our redemption, as well as recalling comforting Scripture:

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12

We may not fully grasp why God allows tragedies to befall the weak and the vulnerable, but in time, we will understand everything. And though we could never decipher His reasons behind His silence, we know in the deepest core of our being that we serve a benevolent God, and we understand that our perception of God's silence might not be silence after all. Our human bodies aren't privy to God's beautiful omniscient character. 

The following accounts are just some of the most convincing arguments for why, despite the injustices around us, we should remain confident in the absolute goodness of God:

Angelic Rescue in Today's World

1. Bruce Van Natta

Bruce Van Natta, a diesel mechanic and family man, was working underneath a truck weighing 10000 to 12000 pounds when it suddenly collapsed and fell straight down on his abdomen.

According to his interview, “the left side of his stomach was reduced to around an inch thick, while the other side shrunk two inches due to the vehicle's direct impact on his belly. Additionally, three of his major arteries suffered ruptures in five places.”

As Bruce writhed in pain, he cried out to God. And within minutes of praying, his consciousness faded away, and his pain dissipated in an instant.

However, something extraordinary happened. In a flash, Bruce regained consciousness. A strange sensation greeted him as he regained awareness of his surroundings. His spirit drifted away from his body, and a moment later, he found himself floating up to the ceiling, suspended in mid-air. Looking down from above, he was surprised to see his physical body pinned beneath the truck while being consoled by a man he worked with in the shop. However, what stunned him most were the two angels that came to the scene.

Bruce related: “On each side of the man comforting me were two huge angels. Their heads stuck up much taller than the man’s head. So, if you would have stood him up, they would have been like eight feet tall. They did not have wings. They were just very broad shoulders, again between the two angels and him it took up the whole front of this truck. There was a bright light shining around each one of them. They were matching bookends. They looked identical. They just had their arm underneath the truck, not holding the truck up but had their arms angled in towards my body. There was no pain. In fact, just peace and I can't even describe, words can't describe the peace I felt.

When Bruce got to the hospital, “doctors doubted he would even survive the next few hours. His ribs were broken, his pancreas and ribs crushed, and several major arteries had been severed.” according to the report. Yet, today, he is alive and healthy. 

Here is a link to a video if you want to learn more about his astonishing story of survival, 

2. Dr. Mary O Neil

An orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mary O Neil, was injured in a kayaking accident. The boat she was on capsized and plunged to the bottom of the raging river, dragging her along with it. Unfortunately, she was pinned against the boat and could not swim above the water. Dr. Mary Neil said that after struggling underwater, she called upon God, telling Him, “His will be done.” Having said those words, a profound sense of peace came over her.

Further, she related:

“My body was being sucked over the front deck, and so what that meant is, when it got to my knees, my knees bent back on themselves, and I could feel that, and I'm an orthopedic surgeon. I analytically was thinking, well feels like my tibia probably broke, but I wasn't screaming. I didn't have pain. I didn't have fear. I didn't have that sense of hunger. I know I've been underwater too long to be alive, yet I feel more alive than I've ever felt, and this is more real than anything I've ever experienced. As my body broke free from my boat, I felt my spirit break free from my body, and I rose up, and out of the river. “

“As Mary left her body, she looked down on the river. She left her body, then she was met by a group of heavenly beings." -cbn.com correspondent

Here is a link to a video where you can learn more about her remarkable spiritual experience.

And here are sources of other powerful accounts of people who experienced being helped by God’s angels during perilous circumstances:

Four people witness angels pulling people from a car wreck

An incredible miracle saves a 12-year-old boy

People who experienced God and angelic encounters spoke of feeling a profound sense of peace even while in the throes of a horrific accident. Based on people’s testimonies, as they encountered divine intervention in the midst of a horrifying situation, a number of them experienced less pain, others intermittent pain, and some felt no pain at all.

Does Everyone Have a Guardian Angel?

One of the most compelling proofs affirming we have a guardian angel is Psalm 34:7 (NIV): ”The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.”

This verse also implies that only those who worship and fear God are entitled to the privilege of angelic protection. Such an assertion is further affirmed in the verse found in Hebrews 1:14 (NIV): “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

Thus, not everyone has a guardian angel. Only the faithful have God’s divine protection. However, there have been times when atheists and agnostics have also experienced an angelic intervention in the midst of a harrowing crisis. Perhaps the reason is a once-Christian now-atheist may hold an atheistic view of God, yet because they belong to Him, God still watches over them until He brings them back into His fold.

God knows the future. He knows all His children. Those who belong to Christ have the privilege of God's protection, whether they’re in God’s fold or have gone astray. Furthermore, atheists-turned-believers often testify of how God protected them even before they came to Christ. (Note: Atheists provide credible testimony as their angelic encounters run counter to their secular beliefs.)

We Are Not Home Yet

Our world is still ruled by the prince of this world.

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” John 12:31, ESV

Good people still endure hardships and setbacks because we aren't home yet. We will one day return to our rightful place, our heavenly home. And for those of us who look forward to Christ's return, let us never forget what God has promised:

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelations 21:4, KJV

Despite not being home yet, the Lord keeps all His children under His care, including those suffering from horrible circumstances. For a believing Christian, the grace of God is evident even amid life’s most devastating tragedies.

I still ask God why. We will probably always do so when unimaginable tragedies afflict the defenseless. But then, as people of faith, we always choose to trust in His wisdom rather than in our limited understanding of things.

“For we live by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 2:5-7, NIV

And yes, we do have guardian angels despite how it might appear to us or others on the surface. 

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2, ESV

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