What Angels Really Are
For centuries angels have been thought of as winged celestial beings with humanlike bodies. Artists' renderings reflect this long-held image. A large greeting card company recently sent me a complimentary card picturing cherubic angels. The message talked about angels as bringing protection and performing miracles for humans.
The Holy Bible mentions angels frequently, assuring that they do guide, protect, and direct us. For instance, the ninety-first Psalm says: "There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he [God] shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" (verses 10, 11). This psalm indicates that angels are from God. And Christian Science, the discovery of Mary Baker Eddy, elaborates on this point. Mrs. Eddy's book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures explains angels spiritually as "God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality" (p. 581). Christian Science explains that angels are very practical thoughts that lead us to be and do good.
In another book, Miscellaneous Writings, Mrs. Eddy wrote of the way these thoughts come: "When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts" (p. 306).
Physical and mental healing result from understanding God and feeling His presence. This understanding increases anyone's inherent ability to hear angel messages, those thoughts that come directly to us from God and that are relevant to daily living. God's thoughts can direct all the details of our days. I have turned to God and through His thoughts been lifted up from the darkness of depression to the light of gratitude; from fear to confidence and conviction; from indecision to direction; from confusion to clarity; from sickness to health; and from grief to comfort.
Christ Jesus understood the importance of prayer, quietude, and communion with God. His teachings establish the basis for Christian Science practice and healing. Jesus taught that through these moments of prayer, one becomes conscious that God is speaking -- that His angels are available to inspire and heal.
Once a wasp stung my hand, and I was in intense pain. When I prayed for God's angels, I remembered specific passages from the Bible and Science and Health, which together are the pastor of the Christian Science Church. I then realized the truth of what Christian Science had been teaching me: that I was the child of the all-loving Father-Mother God -- a good God who permits no evil to afflict His creation.
Immediately I was free from the fear that I would suffer a harmful reaction to the sting. I refuted such a reaction as impossible. On what basis? That God, infinite Mind, does not cause or know pain or hurt. Only that which God knows is real and is communicated to us through angel thoughts. I could understand and see at that moment that my true identity was undisturbed, unharmed, because I reflected the good nature of God. There was no possibility for an action, act, or activity opposed to goodness.
I was absolutely free from pain as a result of that brief moment of understanding; healing was instantaneous, with no aftereffects. I had been blessed in a very tangible way, having responded to an angel message coming especially in the remembrance of the Apostle Peter's release from prison (see Acts 12:1-11). This Bible story illustrates to me the truths just mentioned. These same truths, conveyed to you from God, are ready to deliver you from evil of all kinds, including physical, economic, and social problems.
The Bible and Science and Health contain something for everyone, no matter how much faith, understanding, inspiration, or education he or she has. God's Word speaks to the individual consciousness; not one of us is left out. As one realizes that God's love is unconditional, more good must come into daily life.
