Angels

What type thoughts come to mind when you hear the word, "angel"? Do you picture a man in a white robe, saying "Do not be afraid", or dressed in all white with wings flapping? Do you think of Gabriel? Or maybe you instantly think of beings floating up and down while playing harps.

I want to share an experience I had several years ago that I have never forgotten, but was recently reminded of. How can be? Never forgotten, yet need to be reminded? Well, it has been a while since it happened, and I don't think about it anymore, but once reminded, I go right back to that moment in time and still walk away with the same thought...Wow! God can answer our prayers anyway He chooses. If we only think there is one way He can respond, do we somehow miss the answer because we weren't expecting it to be that way. Also, God cares so much for us, sometimes He sends one of his personal helpers to assist.

The background to my story is that I was traveling with a friend for a conference. A Women of Faith conference to be exact. We were volunteering as workers. We were traveling to Washington, DC. We had decided to drive part way and then take the Metro into the city and to our hotel. We had everything planned out. Or so we thought....

The drive went well and the directions were perfect. We parked the car and unloaded our luggage and then we followed the signs to get our Metro tickets. I need to mention, that neither one of us ever did this before and it was way past dark,  but we figured there would be less traffic and we still had plenty of time to get to our hotel. We stepped into the station. What I say next I can't fully explain, unless you have ridden the Metro before. The map, looked like an art project. More colors and tracks than a rainbow has. How were we suppose to know what track to take. And to add to the situation, we were nearing the last train for the night. If we chose poorly, we would be far from our hotel and with no car. How much money should we put on our card? What if we missed our stop, what if we didn't have enough money left? Should we just buy a day pass even though we really didn't need that type card for the way we were traveling. Also, it accepted coins only and we needed to find a change machine quickly. To finish setting the stage, this particular station was dark, not many people and honestly, you didn't want to attract any one's attention. Just go with the flow and act like you know what your doing. Yet, clearly we didn't. To get the ticket booth helper you needed tokens. We didn't know how to get the tokens, so that seemed hopeless.We thought we could figure it out and given extra time I think we would have, but extra time we didn't have. The train was leaving very soon. So, we began to pray that things would make sense and come together.

Now, I want to interrupt a moment. When you pray do you expect God to answer, or merely hope He does? You know, its one of the many choices we do, when trying to figure it out on our own. I prayed, but was also working on plan b. That is when it happened. Back to our story.

As I was reading the work of art on the wall and trying to find our street to see what train we needed and figure the cost, to my left, I saw a man standing. Not walking from a distance, but standing. He simply said, "Do you need some help". That is when I turned. What I saw, took my breath away. Not white robe. Not a harp in sight, not a clean shaved business man, who would have made me feel at ease, because clearly he would know how the trains worked. No, what I saw was a man shorter than me, unshaven, missing teeth, and a very dirty blue work uniform. On his left shoulder, I saw he had a badge with the Metro label on it. I wasn't convinced he worked for the Metro. I cleared my throat and explained our situation and he smiled at me, that is how I noticed the missing teeth, and simply pointed to the color we needed. He said it would be best to get a day pass and that we would need to change trains to get to our destination. I was writing this down. As I looked up, he was gone. When I say gone, I mean gone-gone. He wasn't walking away, he wasn't in the parking lot, he wasn't back at the booth. He was simply gone. I am not certain I even thanked him while writing. All I know is that we got our pass, hopped on the train and off we went. As I sat in my seat, I said to my friend, if I didn't know better, I would have said that was an angel. Sent just to help us. Neither one of us had seen him approaching nor did we see him leave. We turned and he was gone.

Here is what I took away from that experience. God does answer our prayers. He helps us in our time of trouble. He cares for us. He can send people to come to our aid. Lead them to us through events. Or sometimes, I fully believe, that He sends an angel. We just don't picture them in dirty uniforms, messed up hair and missing teeth. The conversation was exactly what I needed help with. Nothing more and nothing less. To say, if I didn't know better, is humbling to say back. Why would I be surprised by any method God chooses to answer my prayers. Why are some ways more like God while other ways seem too impossible? Isn't He the Creator of ALL THINGS! In scripture we are reminded He held the sun to extend the day for Joshua, He had a talking donkey stop on the path at the sight of an angel warning him not to continue, He sent a whale to take his prophet to the city the prophet was fleeing. We are reminded in Hebrews (13:2) how we should treat strangers because we may be entertaining angels without even knowing it. He sent angels to Abraham before destroying a neighboring city. He sent an angel to open the doors of a prison that Peter was in. Do we feel those things only happened in bible times, or do we truly believe they can happen today? I have heard others share their experiences. Something that I have noticed is this, the angel sent never stays around to get praised. The praise isn't theirs. The praise is for the sender. They are simply carrying out the order. I was also embarrassed how quickly, I wanted to explain how that just happened without it being an angel. I was on my way to a conference for Women of FAITH!!!! Where was my faith that God would help us in this situation?

Not everyone gets an angelic encounter. Not everyone will have a conversation like Mary, Joseph, and Abraham. No, but God can and does still send angels. Some may read this and just shake their head and feel I read too much into it. I know what I witnessed and I know how I prayed and felt. I know that there is a spiritual world out there that we know very little about. I think if we did understand all that was happening, it would kill us. I recently heard on the radio that as the end of time approaches the demonic forces will be become more and more, but remember, that the angelic forces will too! That gave me such hope. Yes, some days it really feels like Satan is winning. It seems to us that his forces are growing and the heart of people is declining.  I shake my head at the news some days, what are people doing and thinking! They know better, yet, each year it seems more and more don't care. Yet, we need to remember who is in control. Satan has a time, yes, but God has the final say. Don't read this and go looking for angelic experiences. Don't make them up. Don't assume you aren't a follower of Christ if you haven't had this happen to you. But if you have had it happen, enjoy it. Praise the One who sent them. You never know why that car pulled out in front of you and now you are running late, because once they pulled out, you couldn't pass them. You had to drive slow. Or if you have an accident along the road and someone stops to help and knows your name, yet you never said who you were, then when it was time to leave, they were gone. (true story). Please don't put God in a box and assume you know Him and his abilities. He loves you, cares for you, and hears you when you pray. If we only expect certain outcomes, we miss the answer that was there all along. Not true? How could hundreds if not thousands of people see the Son of God walk this earth only to deny who He said he was. Saw him perform miracles like no other, just because He didn't fit the image they imagined and didn't set up the earthly kingdom they wanted. Didn't matter He fit every category to the T that the prophets spoke centuries before. He simply didn't fit their image. Don't miss him or any experience He has for you. I still smile when I see someone who appears homeless, with scruffy hair, missing teeth and dirty clothes. I don't smile at their situation, I just wonder if that is an angel waiting for their next appointment. We simply never know. Have a blessed week and remember He is crazy about you! Just as you are.

**On a side note, that encounter was just one of many ways God showed himself to us that weekend. They may be future posts. I will see. I was able to share my faith with a very confused and lost soul on the train, who was blown out of the water, when he asked me what I was in town for? I told him and he asked me if I would be willing to die for that kind of faith. I simply smiled and said, yes I would. It means that much to me. He couldn't wrap his head around that. God gave me an opportunity to show my faith after only hours before doubting that what he sent was an angel and trying to explain what happened in human terms rather than having faith He handled the situation I prayed specifically for. I met a security guard that after talking made me feel like I had a personal guard with me whenever I needed one. I could list a few more, but this has become long enough. He is busy working all around us, but are we looking?