Angel of the Lord

"When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword. Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?” He answered, “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. Now I have arrived!” Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army answered Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you stand is holy.” Joshua did so." Joshua 5:13-15

Angels appear several times in Old Testament scripture. Balaam's donkey sees one in Numbers Chapter 22 as does Daniel in Chapter 9. The significance of an angel of the Lord appearing emphasizes that their is more to the battles and struggles we face than meet our human eyes. Paul says that our struggle is "not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Eph 6:12

When the Jews marched around Jericho and shouted obediently as the Lord had told Joshua, they empowered the spiritual forces of God (his angels) against the dark forces of Satan embodied in the Canaanites behind the walls of Jericho. David tells us that "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them." Psalm 34:7 Because of their obedience to the Lord, God fulfills the promise about which David writes.

God never leaves us alone no matter how difficult the circumstances may seem. Just as the angel told Daniel, that he came to him as soon as he began to pray, so does God hear our prayers and immediately begins to put together his response according to his word sometimes using his angels to engage the dark forces of evil to do it.

My prayer: Help me father to understand that there is more in front of me than my mortal eyes can see nor my mind can understand. I pray for supernatural wisdom through the power of the Holy Spirit to help me see things that cannot be seen and to understand that My God will never leave me alone. Praise God for always being with me and especially for the grace which has set me free from sin and death. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen!