| Things to Live For |
Chapter 4 |
Page 3 |
The Bible tells us much about the ministry of angels in the olden days. They came with their messages of encouragement to weary or troubled ones. After our Lord’s temptation, angels came and ministered to him in his faintness. In his agony in Gethsemane, an angel appeared, strengthening him. No doubt angels come now to minister to and strengthen God’s children. There is a word which tells us that we ought not to forget to show love unto strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. This would seem to imply that angels come, sometimes at least, in human form. Mrs. Sangster gives this thought in her happy way in a little poem:–
“In the old days God sent his angels oft
To men in threshing floors, to women pressed
With daily tasks; they came to tent and croft,
And whispered words of blessing and of rest.
“Not mine to guess what shape those angels wore,
Nor tell what voice they spoke, not with what grace,
They brought the dear love down that evermore
Makes lowliest souls its best abiding place.
“But in these days I know my angels well;
They brush my garments on the common way;
They take my hand, and very softly tell
Some bit of comfort in the waning day.
“And though their angel names I do not ken,
Thought in their faces human want I read;
They are God given to this world of men,
God sent to bless it in its hours of need.
“Child, mother, dearest wife, brave hearts that take
The rough and bitter cross, and help us bear
Its heavy weight when strength is like to break;
God bless you each, our angels unaware.”
Page 3