January 11

Messengers from God

When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear. — Luke 1:12 BSB

The angel had come on a mission of love—to bring Zacharias news that would fill his heart with great joy. This is often how it is. All throughout the Bible, we see that people were afraid of God’s angels. Their glory startled and frightened those to whom they appeared. The same thing happens to us. When God’s messengers come to us with grace and peace, we are often scared, as if they were bringing wrath instead.

Today, angels don’t appear to us in their heavenly form, but they still come just as often as in Bible times, though they wear different forms. Sometimes they come in robes of light and joy, but often they come in dark clothing. Yet our faith in God’s love should give us confidence that every messenger He sends, no matter how they appear, brings something good to us.

“All God’s angels come to us disguised—
Sorrow and sickness, poverty and death,
One after another lift their frowning masks,
And we behold the seraph’s face beneath,
All radiant with the glory and the calm
Of having looked upon the face of God.”

What we call trials and difficulties are often God’s angels, though they seem frightening. If we would just calm our hearts and wait, we’d discover that they are bringing blessings to us from God. They come to announce some new joy or blessing—perhaps a spiritual joy that will come from earthly sorrow, or a surprising and sweet experience of love waiting for us. We need to trust God so completely that no messenger He sends will ever alarm us.