Angel Prayers

By Dyfed Wyn Roberts

Stories of people having supernatural encounters with angels in the heavens are common place in some parts of the church but Dr Roberts finds that the Bible stories themselves are far more down to earth. He tells of how the direction of travel is always from heaven to earth and how biblical characters were helped and encouraged in their earthly life through their meetings with these heavenly beings.

Over 28 chapters you will be inspired in your own prayer life by these short devotional pieces on how the angels came to make a difference in the everyday lives of the people of the Bible.

The author has a PhD in theology and church history from the University of Wales in the UK. He specialised in the religious revival history of Wales and his eBook on the aftermath of the Welsh Revival of 1904-05 was published earlier this year.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dyfed Wyn Roberts
• Release date: Sep 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301117758

Dyfed Wyn Roberts

Dyfed is a trained theologian and church historian from Wales, UK. He is passionate about issues of justice and peace and especially how the church can be positioned to be a world-changing presence within creation. He was trained at Bangor University, north Wales, and has a PhD degree in Welsh revival history. He blogs regularly and has plans to publish more e-books. He lives on the island of Anglesey with his wife Helen who runs the village post office. They have a springer spaniel, Ruth, who loves long walks on the local beaches.

Book preview

Angel Prayers

Daily Devotions Inspired by the Bible’s Angels

Dr Dyfed Wyn Roberts

2013

Angel Prayers

Daily Devotions Inspired by the Bible’s Angels

Dr Dyfed Wyn Roberts

Published by Dyfed Wyn Roberts at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Dyfed Wyn Roberts

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Day 1 – A calling to serve

Day 2 – Hagar’s encounter

Day 3 – Hagar’s return

Day 4 – Abraham and Isaac

Day 5 – At Sinai

Day 6 – Giving the Law

Day 7 – David’s sin

Day 8 – Elijah

Day 9 – Daniel and the lions

Day 10 – Daniel and Israel’s story

Day 11 – Zacharias

Day 12 – Mary

Day 13 – The shepherds

Day 14 – Joseph

Day 15 – Jesus and his temptation

Day 16 – Jesus in Gethsemane

Day 17 – The women at the tomb

Day 18 – Announcing the resurrection

Day 19 – Apostles in prison

Day 20 – Philip and the Eunuch

Day 21 – Cornelius and Peter

Day 22 – Peter’s defence

Day 23 – Peter’s escape from prison

Day 24 – Paul’s shipwreck

Day 25 – Strangers in our home

Day 26 – Guardian angels

Day 27 – Angels worshipping the God of creation

Day 28 – Angels worshipping the God of salvation

Introduction

Parking angels: That is, angels that help you park your vehicle. I first came across this concept in a tiny village craft shop on the beautiful island of Anglesey where I live. Among the many handmade gifts for sale was a rack of glass angel pendants. That in itself did not cause me to wonder but the sign above the rack did; they were 'parking angels' - angels that help you park your vehicle.

Now parking is not one of my favourite things - especially if it involves reversing into a tight space. So it's not for me to pour scorn on anyone who believes that angels can help you find a convenient parking space and then guide you in. But seeing these pendants did cause me to wonder whether we have trivialised these heavenly beings to such an extent that we have lost sight of their true value and true purpose. Do they need restoring to their proper place?

This is what this book is all about. I read again all the stories about angels in the Bible and pondered a little what those stories are actually about. There are many of them and this book does not cover every occasion an angel makes an appearance in the Bible, but it does highlight some of the most beautiful stories and hopefully draws some truth out of them.

The book can be read on two different levels. First of all it is a devotional book. Over 28 chapters it seeks to draw out a truth about the purpose of the biblical angels and suggests ways to ponder and pray. Each chapter has a Bible passage which includes a reference to angels, followed by a short study. Then a handful of questions are asked which will hopefully spark some thoughts in the reader. The chapter is then closed by a short prayer. In my many years as a Christian I have often found that my prayer life needs a boost. Hopefully this book can help yours.

Secondly, the book offers a theological perspective about angels and God's work. The underlying belief of the book is that God is interested in restoring creation, not abandoning it. Our expectation as Christians is not that God will destroy what he has created but that he will renew and recreate, that there will be a 'new heaven and a new earth'. This is the big story that we find in the Bible - a collection of books that begins with the original creation and ends with the new creation. In between we read the story of how God has chosen a people with whom he partners in this mission of his. The angels make an appearance when God seeks to guide, inspire and encourage his people in their calling.

The book is divided into three sections. First, we will look at some Old Testament passages referring to angels. Second, the role of angels in the ministry of Jesus is highlighted. And finally, we will read about the angelic encounters experienced by the early church. Throughout it all God's covenant with his people and his creation is central - for it is here that the angels fulfil some of their most important tasks.

Maybe angels can help us park our cars but in the Bible they have a far greater role. Let's look at it together!

Day 1 - A Calling to Serve

Bible verses

Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?

And I said, Here am I. Send me!

Study

Isaiah's vision of the Temple filled with the mighty presence of God must be one of the most powerful passages of the Bible. It is also one of the most popular since it speaks to our own heart's desire to be holy before God. At the very core of the passage is an awesome picture of the angels surrounding the presence of the Lord.

Some background information might help us understand the passage a little better. Maybe we should not be surprised that a young man from a noble family should have experienced such a vision at this time. The people of God were in mortal danger; their chief enemy, the Assyrians, were attacking and gaining ground. In time Israel would be lost. Can you imagine the anxiety felt among the people in this period? Their fears must have been overwhelming as stories reached Jerusalem of the losses suffered at the hands of the enemy.

It isn't difficult to imagine that one question on their heart more than any other was, 'Where is God? Why isn't he defending us from the danger at our door?' Don't we all share this anxiety when life gets tough? God, however, hadn't abandoned them. The situation was bad and was going to get considerably worse but he still wanted to speak to them. As so often happens in the life of his people, God sends a prophet to