God loves us, His children, and He often sends out His angels to help keep us safe. The angels are “ministering spirits,” according to the book of Hebrews—beings of great power that carry out the will of God.
The idea of the guardian angel is popular in Western culture—this is an angel that is assigned to protect, encourage, and guide individual, faithful human beings. It’s comforting to think that there is a presence that follows us, keeping a divine eye on our daily activities and keeping us safe and well.
But what does scripture—our source of information about angels—say about this? Does God assign each of us an angel? A close reading of scripture reveals that, yes—God does send His angels down to protect and watch over us and that we each may have our own. What is plain is that God uses His angels for our betterment. So take heart and be reassured by these 7 scriptures that support the existence of guardian angels.
Matthew 18:10
Mathew 18:10 reads: “See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” This is Christ speaking—God, Himself—distinctly recognizing the existence of guardian angels—and possibly those assigned to individuals. Jesus does not speak symbolically here, nor does He refer to human guardians, but to God caring for His people through angelic means.
Having these angels always see the face of God is important. Angels are superior to man but are not omnipotent—they do not know all things at all times. God, however, does. And so if our angels are in constant communion with God at all times, they know when we have need, when we hurt, when we stray. They can be here for us in exactly the ways in which we need them, channeling God’s love at all times. We could ask for nothing better in our guardian angels.
Daniel 10:21
God sets a precedent of not only assigning angels to guard humans but to guard nations, as well. Daniel 10:21 reads: “However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael, your prince”. Michael, the archangel, is named the guardian angel of the Jewish people in the Old Testament and is put in charge of their affairs and well-being.
God sends angels out as an extension of His will, protecting the faithful—in this case, an entire nation—giving us yet another example of the guardian angel. In the preceding verse, Daniel 10:20, we also see an example of what a guardian angel might fight against—the “prince of Persia,” which was likely an evil spiritual entity that held dominion over ancient Persia. Spiritual warfare is a part of reality we cannot see but that greatly affects our lives. To have God and His angels fighting for us yields benefits we likely cannot imagine.
Psalm 91:11
“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways,” reads Psalm 91:11. The writer of this Psalm recognizes God’s ability to send down help to His creations through angelic means. The faithful are under the constant care and guidance of angels, and, given the words of Matthew 18:10, we each may have our own specific guardian.
Since we know that bad things, at times, happen to all of us, we don’t know, exactly, in what way our angels guard us. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not helping! In the end, when we reach heaven, we may find that they safeguarded us from thousands of ills and troubles that we could have never imagined. Since God is all-knowing, we must assume that these angels keep us safe in exactly the ways we need most—no more, no less. Take comfort in knowing that God has assigned an angel to guard you in the best ways possible.
Acts 12
Peter’s miraculous escape from prison, in Acts 12, is done with the aid of an angel in Acts 12:1-10. Peter is asleep in his cell and is awoken by an angel who causes the chains to fall from his wrists. The angel then accompanies Peter on a safe journey out of the city. The guards did not know about his escape until the next day when there was great commotion.
When he arrives at the home of Mary, the mother of John and has the servant inform the others of his presence, those in the home do not believe the servant, exclaiming that “it must be his angel,” rather than being Peter himself. This is indicative of the common belief of the Jews at the time that every Israelite had a guardian angel assigned to them and that this angel often appeared as the person they protected.
Hebrews 1:14
This verse speaks of angels as servants, as our “ministering spirits.” While the focus of this passage is on the importance of humanity as Christ’s heir, angels are shown to be our protectors, beings who minister to us in opposing the power of evil spirits and in guiding us, both spiritually and physically. These angels are sent to those “who will inherit salvation”—the faithful, those who have come to the Father through Christ.
We must pray for this protection. As beings of the flesh, we have no power to combat spiritual entities. It is entirely possible to break negativity in your life through faithful prayer—God will send help to you. Your angel, which, as we learned earlier, always has its face turned toward the omnipotence of God, will instantly know your needs and come to your aid. Ask God, and He will give.
Psalm 34:6-7
This simply written verse reads, “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and He delivers them.” When we call out to God and ask for the right things that are within His will, we pray as Jesus teaches us to pray in Matthew 6:9-13, and God answers. He places with us a protecting angel to guide us and keep us safe.
It is important to remember that all power flows down from God. The angels are His servants, His hands that He sends down to care for us. When we pray, we should direct our supplications to the Father—to the one who created us and who knows us best. Angels are superior beings but are not all-powerful. They cannot hear all prayers at all times. Only God can do this. Send your prayers for angelic protection up to God, and you’ll ensure that you’ll receive it.
As we can see, God does send His angels to aid us—we may even each have our own protector assigned to watch over us from the moment we gain our faith. These angels are powerful, capable of defending us against spiritual attack, influencing us to be morally good, and even physically rescuing us from dangerous situations. All of these precedents are provided for us in scripture.
Remember that our ultimate guardian is God, ruler of the angels. He is in all places at all times and knows all—He is our ever-present protector. It is through Him that the angels receive their directives, helping us mortals throughout our lives, comforting, protecting, and keeping us through His love.
