2016-06-30
Reprinted with permission from Joan Wester Anderson's website.

It was late on Saturday night, and Nancy was planning to attend church the following morning. Too sleepy to set her alarm clock, she asked the angels to wake her in time for church. (Angels can be our personal alarm clocks if we ask.) "I am learning to trust, these days," she says, "so I am asking for help with things small and large."

At precisely 7:30 a.m., Nancy sleepily opened her eyes--and realized she was staring right into the face of an angel. "Of course I was about to drop off, thinking I was dreaming when I opened my eyes again--and she was still there!" The angel smiled as if to say, "This is real!" and then faded away. A few minutes later, in the shower, Nancy remembered her sleepy request for an angel to wake her. "So in the shower I was reaffirming to myself: They listen! They listen! This is so wonderful! They hear!"

A little while later Nancy got in her car, put the key in the ignition--and heard nothing. She opened the hood to discover that the battery had been stolen. Obviously she was not going to make it to church. "This was not the first time my car had been vandalized, and the last two times [the incident] wrecked my day," Nancy says. But today she remembered the angel and realized a smile was on her face. She was calm, too. "I thought it was only a battery. I had a feeling I knew who stole it so I began to send kind thoughts, prayers, and light to that person. Stealing wasn't okay, but I knew that the possible thief had serious emotional problems and stealing was a cry for help."

Completely tranquil, Nancy walked back to her place, still wearing a smile on her face. She phoned a friend she hadn't talked to in awhile, hoping he might suggest what to do about the battery. "This friend had wanted to talk to me about some spiritual experiences and religious information I needed. We talked for an hour." Afterwards, Nancy (still calm) called the police and reported the stolen battery.

Odd, she thought, the whole day had felt like she was "in church. Not in a building, but in a place of relevance." Nancy's friend, who ultimately found a free battery and installed it despite the busyness of his own day, commented that "none of us can save the world, but we can each do our own little bit to help…." The simple observation felt so profound to Nancy that she wondered if the angels had put those words in his mind.

Nancy believes that by letting go of anger, she kept herself from being personally harmed. She was able to have a day filled with "the best sermon anyone could have preached outside a church wall." Angels not only guide us through life's minor snares, but they are always around to help us deepen our faith and to walk in the way of the Kingdom.

more from beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad