If only we could peek into the spiritual world. How marvellous it would be to pull back the invisible curtain separating heaven and earth. I’ve always fantasized about what my eyes would see: Jesus at the right hand of God, our Lord at work in the heavenly realms, angels among us. 

As a child, my parents taught me a reassuring prayer to help me feel safe. Like many little kids, falling asleep wasn’t easy when everything in my room seemed spooky and evil in the darkness. With hands folded carefully I would repeat, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Angels guard me through the night to keep me safe till morning’s light. Amen.”

Reciting the “angel prayer” each night served as reassurance of their existence and protection. It’s been years since I’ve used this childhood prayer. As an adult who enjoys thinking through concepts and formulating questions, sometimes I feel plagued by the many unknowns surrounding angels and the spiritual world.

I wonder things like:

• What do angels think or feel?
• When angels sing and praise God what does it sound like?
• Has an angel stepped into a situation to protect me from danger?

Psalm 91:11-12 says, “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” This verse reminds me of the reassurance the Bible holds for us of God’s authority over all things. I have questions, which may never have answers here on earth, but God wants us to find peace in His ability to direct all things, including His angels to intercede according to His plan for each of us.

Pondering who angels are and what their purpose is, I’ve realized we share an intimate connection with them. Like us, angels were created to praise and glorify God. And although we are of different worlds and assigned to different jobs, miraculously we join in the rich purpose of surrendering to His perfect will in worship. It encourages me to focus on living for God despite the unanswered questions we all have. It’s about being stewards of God’s purposes joined with all of creation.