Today my sweet friend, Delia Latham, author of nine books, including the acclaimed Solomon’s Gate series, encourages us to look, with faith-filled eyes, past what we see, beyond the familiar to the angelic.
Beyond the Familiar by Delia Latham
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 reader will find this 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 the items you’ve so carefully collected and gathered around you? 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 envisioned my home, room to room and wall to wall, and finally located that framed print. 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…
Angels keep showing up in my novels. This is not a direction I ever planned to take with my writing, but it seems God had other ideas. My latest novella, Jewels for the Kingdom, is based around a cottage-rental complex in a fictional Texas town. Heart’s Haven is rumored to be a favorite hangout for a number of God’s special messengers, and the old guy who owns the place is suspected of having conversations with them on a regular basis.
A lot of people would have a problem with that idea. But why is it so unbelievable? The Holy Bible clearly states that God places His emissaries around us. If we truly, without a doubt, unequivocally believe God’s Word means exactly what it says…why is the idea of angels actually appearing to and speaking with human beings so hard to swallow?
Once I stopped tussling with God about inserting angels into my books, I found myself learning to look beyond the familiar to the fullness of the very personal promise in Psalm 91:11. God has given His angels charge over me (and you), to keep me (and you) in ALL my (our) 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 us 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 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 gives you a gap-toothed smile 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 a busy mall…during the Christmas season?
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 the hosts of Heaven 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.
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Jewels for the Kingdom is the first of four separately authored Heart’s Haven e-Books:
Pia Peretti’s past could destroy her future. Thanks to her pre-Christian lifestyle, she can’t marry a believer, and she won’t marry a non-believer. Minister David Myers wants to help Pia release her guilt and trust that God has forgiven her…but the young minister is working through his own trial of faith.
After a failed counseling session with a wounded soul, David’s confidence is shaken. He accepts a new pastorate, and moves to Angel Falls to find a haven for his wounded heart.
Is it possible these two hurting hearts are meant to mend each other’s brokenness with some divine intervention?
This novel may be downloaded directly to your reading device through White Rose Publishing, a division of Pelican Book Group, or through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Christian Book Distributors. Find information on all four Heart’s Haven novellas at www.delialatham.net.
Get to know Delia Latham:
Born and raised in Weedpatch, California, Delia Latham moved to Oklahoma in ’08, making her a self-proclaimed California Okie. She loves to read and write in her country home, and gets a kick out of watching her husband play Farmer John. She’s a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings. She loves Dr. Pepper and hearing from her readers. Contact her through her website (www.delialatham.net), blog, or Facebook author page.
Let’s talk about this. When you think of angels, what images come to mind? What Bible stories? How do you feel knowing God is watching over you, right now?
Join me at Living by Grace as we talk about God’s messengers, angels.