Angels, angel stories, angel encounters, guardian angels

We're sorry, but this content is no longer available on Beliefnet. You may enjoy the following related articles: Angel on the Highway By Joan Wester Anderson Guardian Angel in the Snowstorm By Joan Wester Anderson My Son's Two 'Jimmys' By Patricia Gaddis Serenaded by Angels By Sue Monk Kidd Do You Believe in Guardian Angels? A Beliefnet video really believe in angels? Walt Shepard does. His angel story is a favorite among hundreds I’ve read. Walt had become depressed over a broken relationship and was ready to end his life. In the dark, predawn hours one Sunday he accelerated his Sunbeam sports car to 120 miles per hour on Interstate 10, north of New Orleans. Ahead, on the side of the road, he saw what appeared to be an abandoned car. Here was his chance, he decided. He plowed into the back of the parked car. There was an explosion. Both vehicles burst into flames. The manager of a nearby motel heard the crash and called rescue authorities. Walt had been thrown through his windshield and was lying on the mangled engine, trapped by the crumpled hood. Fire surrounded him. He lost consciousness. The highway patrol quickly arrived but the fire was so intense it kept officers from getting within fifty feet of the wreckage. With amazement, however, they and the hotel manager suddenly saw two figures approach the car without hesitation. They pulled Walt from the flames, then helped a rescue team load him in an ambulance. The ambulance sped away. The officers wanted to interview the two unknown helpers to find out more about the accident and to write up reckless driving charges against Walt. Though no other cars had been parked nearby, the two had mysteriously disappeared. Walt began months of painful recovery. He struggled with bitterness and anger. But he began reflecting on his upbringing as the son of Presbyterian missionaries. One day he decided to pray. He was in a body cast and couldn’t kneel, but he rolled over in his bed and faced the wall. He said to the Lord, "I can’t take it. I need your forgiveness.… Come into my life and clean me up." The next morning he woke up after the best night’s rest he could remember in five years. His father, meanwhile, had talked with those who witnessed his son’s rescue. They agreed that two unidentified figures had boldly approached the car as though there were no fire at all. The rescue continued to baffle police. A short time after Walt prayed his prayer, he was talking with his dad about the unusual circumstances of the accident. His father proposed a supernatural explanation. "Son, I think you were saved by two angels," he said, "so you’d have the opportunity to do what you did this week—to get your life right with God." At first Walt was skeptical. But now, after maturing from youth to middle age, he says, “I believe angels are simply part of God’s natural dealings with us. It’s amazing, but I believe angels rescued me from the fire that morning. And I believe they haven’t stopped working.” Do you believe Walt Shepard’s story? I can’t verify it, but in my opinion his account fits the context of everything the Bible tells us angels can do and will do. Walt’s story is strong because it has the right focus. It gives glory to God—as angels do—and credits God with using angels to help bring salvation through Jesus Christ to a man’s soul. TEXT ENDS HERE -->