We walk with angel armies. Think about that for a minute. What does it mean to you?
I’ve been thinking about that a lot over the past three weeks as my family has been throw head-first into turbulent waters. Helpless, unprepared into murky waves with a wicked undertow.
My child was hospitalized for a week. I don’t know that I had a bigger fear than that before this month. The care of my child was in others’ hands because I don’t have the expertise needed. Back and forth each day to the hospital, bouncing between work, my parents’ house and home, I started to lose track of the hours. Eating meals at wacky times, emailing updates late at night. Waiting long days in the hospital, at my desk, in my car, I felt lost. Caught in the turbulence. Lost in a battle I didn’t know how to fight.
Mid-way through that hospital week, I answered my front door, car keys already in hand ready to drive to the hospital to be with my child, and there is a man canvassing from one of the neighborhood churches.
“Can we pray for you, ma’am”
A medic for my broken heart.
Emails come in from family with assurances of prayers and love.
Balm for my wounded heart.
Breakfast is passed into my hands by a hospital volunteer.
Food for me; for the body that carries me through.
With great love, others cared for me. These works of mercy made that time bearable as I waited for my child to be discharged; waited to be home. After that week, I am more keenly aware that my heart longs for home; and God is “Home”. God is Love. God is Mercy. In my lexicon, God is Home.
But, oh, my heart aches for God, when life gets HARD like it did that week, and works of mercy alone are not enough to comfort me. Especially when the doubts seep in and the fear takes holds. That is when I am reminded that we walk with angel armies.
What do I mean by that exactly? I don’t know a whole lot about what theologians say about angels, but my little Sunday school child’s heart knows this: Angels serve God. They’re guardians and sometimes, messengers from God. They fight in battles when necessary. That sliver of knowledge about angels points me back to who God is.
God, Who-is-Love, God, Who-is-Mercy, is also God, Who-defends-and-protects. And in that knowledge, there is no more room for doubts or fear. No matter how lost I feel or how turbulent life gets,
God’s got my back. And legions of angels at His command, if necessary. So, I turn to God, Who-is-Home, and I am not lost anymore. I can see Home from here.
ShunNotTheStruggle 