“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them” (Psalm34:7).
It’s a curious verse.
It invites us to look beyond what
we see with our physical eyes and peek behind the gauzy curtain into a whole other
realm. Because there are times when we feel alone or abandoned and yet, we are
not. When we pray as believers, we summon the hosts of heaven to our side—to support us, to fight for us.
In 2 Kings
6, a servant of Elisha panicked at the sight of an army surrounding the city
where he and Elisha were. “What shall we do?” he asked.
Elisha
responded. “Don’t be afraid . . . Those who are with us are more than those who
are with them.”
Then Elisha
prayed that the eyes of the servant would be opened.
The Message
puts what happened next like this, “The eyes of the young man were opened, and
he saw. A Wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire
surrounding Elisha.”
In our most
difficult moments, it’s good to remember we have many who are unseen on our side.
I’ve
written this next story here before, but it’s been awhile. Years ago, my mother
was in a rehab center trying to get over a fall. While there, she never
progressed, and it was discovered she was terminally ill. After she suffered with
great pain and a diminished quality of life for an extended period of time, one
night I dropped to my knees and prayed, “Lord, if you are not going to heal my
mother in this life, would you please send your angels to come get her.”
I had small
children at the time, so I could not stay in my mother's room all day but was in and out throughout
the day. The next morning, a Sunday, I went in as usual to check on her. After
being unresponsive for more than a week, I found her awake, and I asked if she
wanted applesauce. Affected by a stroke, I was surprised she nodded yes. After feeding her the sauce, she began eyeing the top of the walls near the
ceiling. “What are you looking at mom?” I asked. Her gaze shifted around the
room in a semi-circular way.
I searched
the room for a bug, or a bird. She was looking at something, but what I had no
idea. I could not find one thing that called for the attention she was giving
the walls in that room.
Nurses came
in to change her bedding and administer medicine, so I slipped out to go to church.
“I’ll see you later, Mom.” I said planning to return after church.
Jerry was
out of town and the man speaking for him that day said in his sermon in what
has seemed a prophetic way, “There are some things in this life you can’t fix,
but when God fixes them, they stay fixed.”
I left
church and minutes later, I received a call my mother had died. God had fixed
her pain and it was not coming back. That’s when I realized that earlier she’d
been staring at the angels of the Lord. Her eyes had been opened to see the wonder of these beings who were sent to accompany her to heaven. I imagine they had a big laugh
at my searching for a bug on the wall. But the angels were not just for my mom.
They were for me, too. The realization of how God answered my prayer has been a
great comfort and encouragement to me through the years. It was a lonely time,
but I was never alone. And neither was she.
Later, while
speaking with the social worker at the rehab center, she said she’d heard many
who had the exact same experience as I did with their loved ones.
So, take
comfort in whatever situation you may find yourself in. God is present
supporting and comforting you in ways you may not see at the present time. But
one day, it will be clear he had someone with you the whole time.
Beverly Varnado is the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. A memoir, Faith in the Fashion District, from Crosslink Publishing is also available as well as her other books, Give My Love to the Chestnut Trees and Home to Currahee. She also has an Etsy Shop, Beverly Varnado Art.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
Beverly Varnado copyright 2022