Nov 13, 2009

Angels unaware...

Angels Ministering to Christ in the Wilderness by  Thomas Cole
Angels Ministering to Christ in the Wilderness
by Thomas Cole

When I was a child back in the '50's, I remember reading a little book by Dale Evans Rogers called
Angel Unaware. It is the story of the little daughter of Dale Evans and Roy Rogers, named Robin Elizabeth, who was born with Downs Syndrome and who only lived 2 1/2 years. The title of the book is taken from the biblical passage Hebrews 13:2, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares".

A description of the book from Amazon.com:

"Though Robin's time on earth was short, she changed her parents' lives and even made life better for other children born with special needs in the years to come. Angel Unaware is Robin's account of her life as she looks down from heaven. As she speaks to God about the mission of love she just completed on earth, the reader sees how she brought her parents closer to God and encouraged them to help other children in need. This book...changed the way America treated children with special needs..."

I think that was probably the first time I really thought much about angels, and not only has the story stuck with me, but the belief that angels are real and can take on many forms to perform their duties. Angels are referred to throughout the Bible, and I find them to be quite intriguing creations.

It's probably really hard to know for sure when we have had an encounter with a real angel sent from God. I'm certain there are many instances that we have been helped by an angel that we have been totally unaware of. But here is a story of something that happened to me and my husband a couple of years ago. I do believe it was a real life angel encounter!

Our older son and his family live in South Carolina, and especially now that we have grandchildren there, we try to run down from Ohio to see them several times a year. Unfortunately, I'm not recalling the exact date of this particular visit, but I know it was over a Labor Day weekend, and I'm thinking it may have been in 2004.

In any event, we set out to leave for home right after breakfast on Tuesday after the holiday weekend, which was approximately a 10 hour road trip. We knew the weather forecast was calling for rain because there was a hurricane moving from the Atlantic across the region (Frances?). We hoped to get a head start and head north as quickly as we could.

To back up just a bit: I am a very good traveler under perfect conditions. That means no rain, sleet, snow, fog, and no darkness. One of the demons I fight is my fear of the combination of highway speed and bad weather. It's just a big issue with me and I have no idea why. But I can have a serious anxiety attack when the conditions are "wrong". My husband is a great driver in any weather so it has nothing to do with him. (Probably more about my sense of the loss of control!)

We got about an hour up I-77N when the heavy rain started. I have never in my life experienced rain like that. It was coming down like it was the end of the world. Before too long, we could not see a thing in front of us. I was so terrified I thought I was going to die from not being able to breathe. We had to go quite a while with our wipers on full speed, not that it helped. Pretty soon, the rubber part of the driver's side wiper started inching up the metal blade. It was flopping all around and totally unable to clear the windshield to provide the least bit of visibility. Out of my side window, I thought I saw a sign for a gas station at the next exit. My husband somehow got us off the highway and we pulled into a tiny station with a little convenience store.

I was shaking so badly and I didn't even want him to get out of the car into the rain coming down in heavy sheets. But he went into the little store to see if someone had a tool he could use to try to fix the wiper blade. He came back to report that they did not. I just started to cry. I felt so helpless and scared of the long trip ahead of us. Just then, a small pickup truck pulled into the space beside me. I told my husband, "I bet that guy has some tools!"

While the man was inside the little convenience store, my husband tried one more time to fiddle with the wiper blade. Just then, the man appeared before him and asked if we needed some help. Hubby explained about the wiper and the man went to his truck to get a tool and within seconds it seemed, had our wiper fixed. We never had a chance to thank the guy...he was gone as quickly as he had appeared on the scene. All of this happened in what could not have been more than 3-4 minutes.

While I still didn't want to get back onto the highway, my husband wanted to persevere. Gradually we drove out of the heaviest rain, but it did continue to rain the entire way back to Ohio.

I really was too engrossed in the circumstances at the time to think this man could have been an angel. But looking back, I am fully convinced in my own mind. And totally grateful. What do you think?

Have you had an experiences that made you think twice about the reality of angels?

"Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" Hebrews 1:14

19 comments:

Judy said...

I had a similar experience at a rest stop once.

VERY similar.

I'm possitive it was an angel.

Judy said...

(HEY! I was finally able to post in your comments!)

Our angel was an Asian man wearing an Arlington Raceway name tag. He stood back from the car with his hands behind his back and told me exactly what to do. His words were "This will get you to where you are going." It did.

And people think they need cellphones. ;D

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

Well m'dear I don't know. I do know my husband was a mechanic for many years and will often stop and help people, will often just pull over and help, and helps those he meets in his daily travels. Even if the man who helped was not an angel, it is quite likely an angel guided him to you. Either way, angels were involved!

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Wow Judy, that's amazing. Hey! Glad you were able to post a comment. Nice seeing your face here :)

Hi "Penni" -- I had to laugh to myself when I first read your comment. "She must be saying her hubby is no angel" ha ha!! Well, my hubby is no mechanic, unfortunately :) and Lord knows we need all the help we can get! (I love your picture too)

Rose said...

I must have read that book "Angel Unaware" at least 5 times. It is such a lovely book! Thanks for sharing your experience with those "spiritual visitors."

Jess said...

Jacque,

I'm positive that God sent you that angel to help you both.

Most often we don't see the angels that are ministering to us however. When my kids were small we were in a car accident while waiting for my husband to come out of the shipyard in WA. State. I had prayed for God's safety that sunny day as I drove. Then when we were parked, a tow truck (towing a Riviera) struck us from behind. He had lost control of his rig and decided to hit the car parked at the curb (us)instead of the one in the intersection.

Well. to make the story short, we sustained a huge jolt and were thrown at least 25 feet from an emergency brake stop. My 3 yo daughter had unfastened her seat belt and was "thrown" against the front seat back.

The next morning at breakfast she said: "Thank you Mommy for holding my head when the truck hit us."
To which I answered, "Oh, Honey, I didn't hold your head, I was looking up in the rear view mirror and was pitched forward into the steering wheel.
"Well, SOMEONE held my head!" she corrected.

Then I remembered that the night before, as I got into bed, I had an unexpected image in my mind's eye of 2 large angels laying across the seats of our station wagon and holding everything down during the impact. How I have praised GOD ever since.

Certainly, we are a blessed people with a faithful Heavenly Father!

Nellie's Cozy Place said...

Happy sunday Jacquelyn,
thanks for coming over to read the rest of the story. Yes, we will always be incredibly grateful to the Lord for our rescue! He is so good to us! Yes, our stories are very similiar.
Thanks so much for all your well wishing to us on our years to come,
they are sweet and appreciated.

Just read your Angel post, I also read Angel Unaware when I was a girl. I don't remember it exactly but I do remember how much I loved the story, and how neat I thought it was.
I think me and 2 of my friends might have encountered an angel one day when we ran out of gas on I-4. We all had children in school and had to get home for them
and we were already cutting it close. so when we ran out of gas
I said lets pray, so we prayed for the Lord to help us, and as we were raising our heads a guy
backed down the exit ramp over to our car and said what's wrong??
"Out of Gas" and we said yes, in
amazement, and he said I will push you up the ramp to a station,
which he did, and we got our gas
and then the car a diesel, would not start, so my friend laid her hand on the dash and said Lord Jesus, Please start this car we have to get home for our kids.
Then the car started right up, and we were all home in time for our children, even before.
So we think that man might have been an angel, and what a marvelous experience it was. One of the girls was a new believer and she was just amazed! she said I would have just gotten my gas can and walked up the exit ramp and came back and been late getting home. God does it so much
better!! lol He never ever ceases to amaze me, even tho I really shouldn't be amazed I always am! It's always an AHHH
moment with Him!
Yes, I am loving the neat ladies I have met blogging, it is awesome really and so encouraging.
Thanks for coming by Sweetie, hope to hear from you soon,
Blessings, Nellie

Nellie's Cozy Place said...

Hi, Me again!
one thing I forgot to say was that we found out later that once you let a diesel run out of gas, it will not start again because it does something to the engine.
So we thought that was quite interesting as well.
Blessings,
nellie

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Rose, I knew I was dating myself by mentioning that book, but isn't it something the way certain things impress us and stay with us forever?

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Oh my goodness, Jess! How could we not believe in the sovereign protection and intervention of God when something like this happens?! I have another story that I'll share sometime that involves me and my young son in a car...

Has everyone noticed how many of these stories do involve cars? hummm...

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Wow, Nellie. I'm sure that was an angel who was sent to aid you and your friends. And look at the impact it had on the one who was a new believer. We have an amazing God!

Julie said...

I found your blog through Shirley's.

I am a child of the 50's... remember the book well.
Loved reading it.

I feel the same way you do with the hard rain and speed. It really does feel out of control.... that's why I hate it too.

It's great to meet you!

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Julie, thanks for stopping by and commenting! Glad to meet you as well. Shirley's blog has been such a blessing to me!

Brenda said...

I have wondered on a couple of occasions if God sent angels to help me. I was a single mom after the death of my husband. One time I needed help crossing a very icy street to get to my car. Suddenly someone just appeared and helped me walk across to my car and disappeared before I had even a chance to look up at him/her or to say, "Thank You." I had to beleive that God was taking care of me.

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Brenda, that is amazing! I'm sure it was an angel. That is exactly what made me believe our experience involved an angel...we never got a chance to say "thank you"...he was GONE so fast! We never even saw him leave, it happened so fast. I have not a doubt in my mind God was taking care of you!

Deborah Ann said...

Oh yes, many times. Once we were driving during a blizzard, and decided to turn back. We took a side road off the highway, drove about a mile, and then turned around - and ended up in the ditch.

We prayed. A few minutes later a guy in a little truck drove up, and he happened to have a chain and pulled us right out.

Funny thing was, he drove back the same direction he came! When we got back on the highway and looked in the direction we just came from, we realized there was no way anyone could have seen us from the highway!

I am always thrilled to hear stories like this - it makes my day!

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Deborah Ann, that is SO exciting! I love these stories too. Like I'm fond of saying, no wonder eternity is forever. We will have so many stories to hear and so many folks to meet, and we'll need all of eternity to sing HIS praises!

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Anonymous said...

Late for a dental appointment,low on gas & low on faith as well for a sad family situation; I had parked my car on a steep downward incline and now the car wouldn't start.My 12 year old son and I stood at the hood of the car and tried to push it back up to a level spot. Of course it didn't budge. Quick as a wink, a small faded orange car pulled up and out popped a little middle aged Asian man with greying hair no taller than me at 5'4". He never asked what the problem was. He told me to get behind the wheel. Then he and my son easily pushed that car backwards, up the incline to a level spot. This let the gas settle to a spot where the engine would start. With that the Asian man jumped back in his car as I called out thanks and he drove away. When my son got into the car I realized how strange the encounter was. I looked down the street in the direction the man had gone. There were no turn offs & I should have seen him, but he was gone.I knew then that God would never leave or forsake me or leave me stranded by the wayside! My heart was filled with joy, peace and Praise. No matter the "Species" that man was an Angel to me that day & It was a miracle!