5 Surprising Roles of Guardian Angels

The Bible tells us, “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven, their angels are always in the presence of my Heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10). This is one of the key passages in the Bible regarding guardian angels. We know from Scripture that the role of guardian angels is to guard men, institutions, cities and nations. However, we often have a distorted image of the functions of these angels. Many of us see them as beings that are good just to obtain advantages for us. Contrary to popular belief, this is not their only role. Guardian angels exist above all to help us in spiritual difficulties. God is with us through the action of the angels and they participate in our struggles to help us fulfill our calling. Guardian angels also conflict with the Hollywood vision of life. According to this view, there is a great tendency to think there are no struggles, difficulties or dangers and everything will have a happy ended. However, the Church teaches us the contrary. Life is full of struggles and dangers, both material and spiritual. Because of this, our Divine Creator has placed an angel to watch over each and every one of us. Here are six surprising roles of guardian angels that you should know.

To Protect Us and Go Before Us

Shutterstock.com

The Bible does tell us that for the believer nothing happens outside of God’s control and if we know Christ, His angels continually watch over us. The Bible says that God “will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11). It also teaches that the angels, although they are largely unseen, watch over us and work for our good. The Bible says, “Are not all angels ministering the spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). God surrounds us with a host of angels to protect us and go before us. Even when hard times come, Satan can never snatch us away from their protection and some day they will escort us safely to heaven. The reality of God’s angels should give us great confidence in the Bible’s promises.

Praying for People

Shutterstock.com

Your guardian angel may be constantly praying for you, asking God to help you even when you’re not aware than an angel is interceding in prayer on your behalf. The Catholic Church’s catechism says of guardian angels: “From infancy to death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.” Guardian angel prayers express adoration to a specific type of God’s heavenly messengers. There is great power in their prayers. A guardian angel prayer acknowledges a created being as your source of protection, healing and guidance. While angels are superior to people in power and intelligence, God created angels to love, worship, praise, obey and serve Him (Revelation 5:11-12). Only God has the power to direct the actions of angels (Hebrews 1:14). A prayer to God brings us to a place of intimacy with our Creator (Matthew 6:6). God’s gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to speak to our Heavenly Father from the depths of our hearts.

They Communicate to Us Through Thoughts, Images and Feelings

pixabay.com

Angels are spiritual beings and do not have bodies. They can sometimes take the appearance of a body and can even influence the material world, but by their nature are pure spirits. Given this, it makes sense that the primary way they communicate to us is by offering to our intellect thoughts, images or feelings that we can either accept or reject. It may not be clearly evident that it is our guardian ngel communicating to us, but we may realize that the idea or thought did not come from our own minds. On rare occasions, like those in the Bible, angels can take on the appearance and speak with words. This is not the rule, but the exception to the rule, so don’t expect your guardian angel to show up in your room. It may happen, but it only occurs based on the circumstance.

Guiding People

Shutterstock.com

Guardian angels may also be guiding your path in life. In Exodus 32:34, God tells Moses as Moses is preparing to lead the Hebrew people to a new place: “My angel will go before you.” Psalm 91:11 says, “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” It has been said that the angel’s purpose is to be there when we face critical junctures in our lives. Angels guide us through our challenges and help us to navigate a smoother path. They do not take on all our burdens and problems and make them disappear. They guide us toward a certain direction, but ultimately we must choose for ourselves which direction to take. Guardian angels are also here to help us bring goodness, peace, compassion and hope into our lives. They are pure love, and they remind us that in everyone there exists love. As divine helpers, they act by delivering messages or helping us when in need.

Recording Deeds

Shutterstock.com

Angels not only watch us (1 Corinthians 4:9), but apparently, they also record the deeds of our lives; “Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error; wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” (Ecclesiastes 5:6). People of many faiths believe that guardian angels record everything that people think, say, and do in their lifetimes and then pass the information along to higher-ranking angels (such as the powers) to include in the universe’s official records. Every person will be judged according to their words and their deeds, whether good or evil. Thanks be to God that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:7).

Shutterstock.com

The Bible says, “Praise the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His Word” (Psalm 103:20). Just as angels are largely unseen by us, so also is their work. If we knew all the times angels were at work and the things they were doing right before us, we would be amazed. God does many things through His angels including giving us protection in times of danger, and not just physical danger, but also moral and spiritual danger as well. While the church has few official teachings on angels, these six roles of guardian angels give us a clearer understanding of how they are at work in our lives and remind us how great and powerful God is. What we do know about them from the Bible is amazing.