Touched by an Angel--or God?

Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."

"What are all the angels? They are spirits sent to serve those who are going to receive salvation." Heb. 1:14 God's Word Translation

"But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!" Isaiah 7:12 NAS

On first glance it looks like God is not very fair with Ahaz. When Jerusalem was about to be attacked, God had Isaiah tell the fearful King Ahaz to "Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights," (Isaiah 7:11 NIV). But Isaiah piously responded with the same argument that Jesus made when he was tempted in the desert to turn a rock into bread. Ahas said "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test: (Isaiah 7:12 NIV).

And how did God respond? In verse 13 Isaiah says, "Hear now, you house of David. Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?"

While Ahaz' lips said he did not need a "sign", his heart and actions spoke differently. He was afraid of the enemy, in spite of God's promise to protect him. God told Ahaz in Isaiah 7:9
B, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you wil not stand at all." Yet Ahaz did not stand firm, and rather than let him fall God offered a sign to bolster his courage. But God was not happy about it because had Ahaz truly trusted God he would not have needed signs and wonders.

Watch what you wish for. After I wrote the entry about the "angelic" intervention in Hong Kong last week, many people wrote about their own encounters, but some have said they wished they could have such experiences. We should be careful what we wish for, because such interventions usually come only in times of doubt, struggle or trouble, or in the lives of the younger and more immature believers.

My friends Jim and Judy wrote to me that many in America have their focus on angels (the ministering spirits sent to serve us in Heb. 1:14) rather than on the One who sends them. Perhaps that is true, given that many Americans who don't even believe in God believe in angels. And many people actively seek out "angelic" encounters, but an "angelic" encounter does not even begin to compare with the wonder of having a day-to-day Father-child encounter with our Creator!

I could make a list that even I find hard to believe (though it is documented) of amazing interventions over my lifetime. I even wrote about some in one of my books in China. I don't mention God or religion in it, but as in the book of Esther, which never mentions God, it is clear that my Father's hand was there, and I've had many Chinese readers say, "Wow! Your God was in that!"

Not strength but weakness But while some might boast in having such experiences, I know that, in reality, I've had them because I've been weak, fearful, or indecisive--or about to face trials that I was totally unprepared for and would rather not face. So while I am very thankful for such encounters, I realize they are not a measure of my spiritual strength but rather of my great spiritual weakness--and my Father's patience in continuing to put up with me.

Much is written about angels, and signs and wonders, but to me the greatest sign and wonder is awakening daily and knowing, without a doubt, that my Father has given me yet another day to walk and learn with Him. It can't get much better than that.

God told Ahaz, "If you do not stand firm you will not stand at all." If we fall, we know the angels are there to help pick us up, but how much better to just stand firm in the first place, trust our Father, and not fall!

Today, don't pray to be touched by an angel but to be touched by God.

Related:
How Sue and I met: "China-our Matchmaker"
"How we got here" (a "sign from the heavens").
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