Monday, December 21

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent byGod to a town in Galilee called Nazareth.
—Luke 1:26

Angels are dispatched from heaven. It may seem incomprehensible to us to think that an angel might come to us for some reason. It was incomprehensible to the Mother of God and to countless others in the Bible who were suddenly surrounded by an angelic presence and didn't know what to make of it. 

In every instance they were afraid—not the fear of terror, but the fear of awe. They knew that they were being visited by a being that was outside their normal everyday experience and they were uncertain about how to behave.

Angels are dispatched from heaven into our lives sometimes when we least expect it, and sometimes on a regular and consistent basis. They do the bidding of God and are there to alert, warn, instruct, protect, and speak on God's behalf. It isn't always easy to recognize them, because we're not looking for them.

But when we are in the presence of someone who seems to know clearly the path before us, or who silently seems to know our need, or encourages us to become something we had never thought we could be,we can know that we just may be entertaining an angel. It would do us good to pay attention.

Gracious God, when I am surprised by an angel, give me a heart of trust.