Helper Angels

“Let’s go!” Gabriel called. He ran like a wild man - too fast down the winding, dirt trail, walking stick poked to the side just waiting to catch on some limb or bramble.

“Coming,” yelled Samuel. He, too, took off in a whir of pumping arms and legs.

Grant wasn’t far behind. I knew that soon he’d be blazing the trail. “Wahoo! Hold up, guys!”

Lonny and I picked up the pace. I prayed under my breath as the boys continued to rip through the trees. Keep them safe. Protect them from falls. No stitches or contusions.

We were taking the trails at Blackhawk State Park. The boys loved to hike there. I understood. It was beautiful. Thick foliage. A variety of trees. But there were also steep inclines. Ragged rocks. And a river lay at the bottom of the hills.

Plenty for a mama to worry about.

Plenty to spark adventure-fires in the hearts of boys.

Soon the temptation was too great for Lonny and he forged ahead, eager to join his brood. I was left behind. Just me and my thoughts. Just me and the Lord.

As I meandered the trails the boys had just torn over, I thought about a devotion we’d read from Devotions for the Children’s Hour by Kenneth Taylor. In “Who Are the Angels?” Mr. Taylor explains that angels are kind and helpful, they are God’s servants, and that every person has at least one assigned angel. These angels, at God’s command, help to keep bad things from happening to us. Of course, sometimes hurtful things do happen, and Mr. Taylor shares that during these times – in God’s mercy - we can draw closer to the Him. But many times we’re spared under the angels’ watchful care.

I rested against the trunk of an oak to think this through.

While raising my boys, I’ve found endless opportunity to cry out to the Lord for His protection. Boys are hardwired for adventure. God knows that. He made them, and He’s in control.

But as I continued to walk through the woods that autumn afternoon, knowing that my boys were dangling from limbs or climbing too high or crawling into rocky crevices, I took comfort in God’s provision: helper angels at His command - at least one for each of my sons.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11