A divine encounter should not be expected or wished for, as it is never promised to the Christian. We are to follow by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Colossians 2:18, (CEV) “Don’t be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble and who worship angels. They brag about seeing visions. But it is all nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish desires.”
Scripturally, angels performed the specific job God wanted them to do and then they left. They were always sent to ONLY do the will of God. The Bible does not teach us to contact angels and make requests or even visually stand in awe of them just to see what they are like. They are not here to obey OUR commands – they work for God and His glorified son Jesus, and only obey THEIR commands. Angels are permitted to interact with humanity on a very specific and limited basis.
In the Bible, angels delivered messages at key points in human history as God’s direction. Angels were sent only in matters of extreme importance. They delivered their message and then they left. They were sent to do the will of God, not to make friends with humans.
VERY few people had contact with angels in the Bible, and we shouldn’t expect or desire to see them appear before us. Our “unspeakable joy” comes from something a lot less glamorous: James 1:2-4: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
We know Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Any account you have heard of someone interacting with an angel is quite frankly either lying or is being deceived by a fallen angel acting on behalf of Satan, disobeying God’s rules about their interaction with humans. These are the “angels that kept not their first estate” in Jude 6, and we are to have absolutely nothing to do with the occult in any way.
Mankind is being deceived by the normalization of angelic interactions through fantasy TV, movies and social media. Do not be deceived. We simply do not have the authority to observe God’s holy angels.
With spiritual maturity comes knowing what to pray for. Above all, we pray for God’s will to be done in our lives, and we are satisfied with whatever that may be.
Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1304: How Do Guardian Angels Take Care of Us?
Understanding what God’s angels do and don’t do on our behalf
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
Episode #1305: How Do Satanic Demons Influence Our World?
Establishing the origin, power and methods of dark spiritual beings
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
For children, parents and Bible class teachers:
Animated video: What does the Bible say about angels?
Animated video: What did angels do in the Bible?
