When the chips are down, for ourselves or for someone we know who so desperately needs help, we need Divine intervention. This may not come unless we ask for it, and it’s better if we ask sooner rather than later.
Not always what we expect
Even then, God’s answers may well not be what we expect, and will come in His own time, not on our schedules. To complicate matters, His answer is quite often No or Not now. Those can be the most difficult to understand or accept, especially when we really do want answers now. God’s ways are not our ways and He sees a much bigger picture than we can even strain for, as we peer beyond our limited horizon.
As an example, a seeming disaster happens so that a worse one won’t. When my husband’s failing health caused a 3-car pile-up, he voluntarily gave up his driver’s license before DMV could suspend it. In this instance, he was the only one who sustained serious injuries. Had he continued to drive, far worse suffering for others could have resulted.
Our annoying insurance company then sent a nasty cancellation notice for my auto insurance because I now had “an unlicensed driver” in the house! Had our agent not intervened in my behalf, I would have told the insurance company where to go and how to get there. The endorsement then issued had ugly wording. So many reasons exist for why the insurance industry is so universally hated!
When God sends an angel
Then there are times when our hearts are in 100 pieces and God sends an angel to help us. They may have mortal bodies or, when an earthly angel cannot help us, be capable of traveling back and forth between the worlds. If from this world, they may even be furry and have four legs or be feathered and have two. Many religious publishers have books about angels, including Guideposts, Deseret Book, Zondervan, Bethany House, Thomas Nelson, and more. Whatever faith you are comfortable with, the writings are probably there, with one or two exceptions.
Books have also been published about angels in the ER, angels at a disaster scene, 4-legged angels who find lost or injured persons miles from the nearest house, ravens who dropped pieces of bread and meat to the starving prophet Elijah. The angel who is sent was prompted to come to you, prompted by the Holy Ghost in response to prayers.
There are no prayers like the fervent prayers of heartsick parents who sense or know their children are in imminent danger but don’t know where they are. But I can tell you for a surety, desperate prayers for a suffering friend are a pretty close second! The angel who is sent or prompted to call you – especially if someone has asked for angels to be sent – will probably be someone you know or knew well, or a more distant ancestor, but not always. He or she may be a neighbor, a long-time friend, the mail carrier, a stranger out for a stroll on a street they don’t usually take. None of this is coincidence. There really are no coincidences, only synchronicities.
Not always “in time”
To be honest, we know help doesn’t always arrive “in time”. People die when we don’t think they should, when we’re not ready and neither were they. We have to pay attention to what’s happening around us. Many children die from neglect or abuse and even torture, something I still can’t wrap my head around. I just can’t grasp the heinousness of some minds. But it’s happening.
It’s true some children can display disagreeable behavior if they’re not being taught differently, or maybe a frightened child with special needs is acting out. Even so, there’s never a reason to inflict cruelty on someone who’s just being a kid. If he/she has already become a delinquent, it will be much more difficult to get through to that angry, confused brain. Do a Google search for professional help options in your area.
In addition, many elderly fall and lie on the ground for days before being found because they hadn’t put a simple system in place for someone to check on them. Many of us don’t have time for daily phone calls but a simple text message is within anyone’s ability. And yes, there are many stubborn individuals who don’t want people checking up on them or butting in! They are too proud to recognize that some day they will need help.
God does care
Regardless of what might happen, it isn’t because God doesn’t care. Some people who could have helped fail the test. We could say they are the opposite of the Good Samaritan. God already knows who will try to help the fallen directly or send help to them, but He needs them to prove it. And when they fail, for a variety of reasons, the person they could have helped may soon go on to a far better world where there is no hurt. And the non-Samaritan, as it were, continues down the road to the future they are carving out for themselves.
On rare occasions the angel sent is obviously from “the Other Side,” whether seen or unseen. I’m not sure I’m ready to see an angel with a drawn sword as Balaam’s ass did (Numbers 22: 27-33). But heavenly beings do come to earth for specific purposes, such as to turn us from a less useful path in life.
If you are the angel who is sent in response to prayers, or because God knows you have the personality traits, the experience, and the courage, you may not always be received well. You may get kicked in the teeth. Other members of the person’s family may close ranks around him or her and send you away. “This is a private matter and you, of all people, are not wanted here! Go home and don’t ever bother us again.” This is always painful, to say the least, but please don’t let it stop you from reaching out to others who need help.
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