For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:11-12 NKJV)
The fears of life present themselves every day, but we get to choose how they affect us. If we can see what God has for us, it will be an easy and given choice. Have you seen the armies of angels that surround you?
When the king of Syria ordered his armies to pursue Elisha’s life, his troops, horses and chariots surrounded Elisha’s dwelling. As Elisha’s servant went outside, he was overtaken with fear and panicked. But for Elisha it was different. In spite of the danger lurking outside, he was calm and told his servant:
“Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them”. (2 Kings 6:16)
The servant was overtaken by fear as he could not see the armies of angels that were protecting them. Only when Elisha prayed a single prayer, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see” (2 Kings 6:17) did the Lord open the servant’s eyes. He then saw that the hillside around them was filled with God’s armies of angels. As he moved his eyes away from the Syrian army but onto God’s angelic forces, his fear left instantly, as no worldly force can compare with God’s forces.
Whenever fear comes knocking on your door, ask God to open your eyes to see His angels around you and stand on the truth and promise that God’s armies are with you and that those who are with you are more than those who are against you.
Psalm 91:10-11 promise us that no harm shall come near us as God and His angels are watching over us.
It is interesting to note that Psalm 91:11-12 was quoted by the devil when he tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6) The devil deliberately misquoted Psalm 91:11 and left out “To keep you in all your ways”. There is a reason for that as he knows that if we acknowledge Jesus in all our ways, He shall direct our path (Proverbs 3:6-7). Our role is simply to acknowledge Jesus in everything and He shall keep us in all our ways and protect us against all dangers, known or unknown.
God does not only protect us when we are in danger, but He keeps us in all our ways as we go about our daily lives. The Hebrew word for “ways” is the word derek which means path, road or journey. This means as we take part in our ordinary daily activities, God gives His angels charge over us to protect us. In this way, I believe there are many dangers which we do not even know of that God protects us from as we just go about our days.
Remember, when Lucifer fell, one-third of the angels fell with him. Do you see the relevance thereof? The forces of darkness will always be outnumbered as two-thirds of angels remained with God. Our protection in Christ is always greater than any danger plotted against us, whether or not we can see them.
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter tried to defend Jesus against the Roman soldiers, but Jesus said to him, “Put your sword into its place … Do you suppose that I cannot appeal to My Father, and that He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:52-53 AMP).
Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested and crucified. He gave up the divine protection available to Him and died a death He did not deserve so that we can enjoy God’s divine protection.
You are sitting with a powerful key to God’s protection as God’s angels heed “the voice of His word” (Psalm 103:20). Every time you speak God’s Word, you give voice to it and the angels act on God’s spoken Word.
Whenever you encounter fear, speak the Word of God and meditate on His promise of divine protection. It is yours!
Maretha Retief
Illustration credit: Jeanne de Villiers