Blessed Babysitters

Recently I was watching a movie on PureFlix (https://www.pureflix.com/discover) and the main character asked an older gentleman, who claimed to be his guardian angel, how well he ranked in the kingdom of God. The man replied that angels were taking God’s messages all over the world, fighting spiritual battles, and he was babysitting the main character. “So that should tell you how I rank,” the older man replied. Although the scene was funny, I think my guardian angel might be thinking the same thing about me sometimes! I’m sure I mentioned this before, but I often laugh thinking God is high above in the heavens watching me with a palm to his forehead shaking his head. In fact, it is possible I don’t have one guardian angel but a multitude of them! Our loving Lord uses his heavenly host to guide and guard those who are his children. Read Psalm 91. In fact, it’s worth memorizing. This ancient song is overflowing with specific promises of how God protects us with his transcendent troop.

About three years ago I was pulling soil samples in a corn field in north central Nebraska. Although I knew the day was getting late, this was a big project with global positioning system (GPS) marked points and I was almost finished. I knew I had to pick up my young son from school, but leaving to come back and finish the project later would have been expensive in fuel and time. So, I decided to finish the sampling.

When I completed the field I rushed to my pickup, loaded the 4-wheeler, and stripped out of my coveralls as fast as I could. I jumped into the vehicle and sped out of the field toward the highway. When I was about halfway home I realized there was no way I was going to make it to the school on time. I reached for my phone in the passenger seat. I reached. I felt around the console, the dashboard and then I reached again! My phone was missing! “Oh God,” I prayed shallowly. “Please don’t let my phone be in the middle of the corn field or in the tall grass of the pivot corner!!”

Because the school couldn’t reach me, my son’s grandma was called. She picked him up from school. They were just getting into her car when I pulled up. I thanked my former mother-in-law profusely and then I strapped my son into my vehicle. I looked in the cab for my phone. It was not in the front seat. It was not in the back seat. Hoping beyond hope, I looked in the bed of the pickup. There was my phone!

In my rush to get out of my coveralls, I placed my phone on the railing of the pickup bed! When I took off in my vehicle, by the grace of God, my phone fell into the pickup bed instead of out into the field! Now, there could have been one more problem. I took my dog with me to the fields. My dog goes everywhere I go and when we work all day, I also take food and water for him. My dog’s water bucket was directly below where I placed my phone. However, my guardian angel troop prevented my phone from dropping in the water! My phone was on the pickup bed floor, and not one drop of water was on my phone. The device remained in good working order and was no worse for wear. If that isn’t proof of God and a heavenly army, I don’t know what is. So even if the lowest ranking angels are assigned to taking care of me, I am immensely grateful for their help!

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Psalm 91:11-12