Why Were Angels Created?

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
–Hebrews 1:14

Why did God create angels? What function do they have in the world today? The purpose of angels is to serve you who are Christians. The Bible says angels are “ministering spirits” sent by God to benefit you (Hebrews 1:14).

What does that mean, “ministering spirits”? In his book on angels, Billy Graham tells the true story of Dr. S. W. Mitchell, a famed neurologist who lived in Philadelphia. One night, Dr. Mitchell came home exhausted after a long day at the hospital. He went immediately to bed.

In the middle of the night, Dr. Mitchell heard a knock at the door. He stumbled around, got his clothes on, and went down to open the front door. There he saw a little girl in a brown overcoat, poorly dressed and shivering in the cold. The little girl explained to Dr. Mitchell that her mother was deathly ill and needed the help of a doctor right away. Would he come? Dr. Mitchell responded graciously and followed the girl through the snow-packed streets of Philadelphia until they arrived at a poor tenement house.

Climbing the stairs of that apartment building, they finally arrived at the girl’s apartment. When Dr. Mitchell went in, he found the mother in bed suffering from pneumonia and about to die. He arranged medical care for this woman and then congratulated her on her daughter, who showed such persistence and intelligence in going to get help. The woman looked strangely at Dr. Mitchell and said, “Sir, my little girl has been dead for over a month. In fact, her clothes you described are still hanging in the closet downstairs.” Amazed and perplexed, Dr. Mitchell went downstairs and opened the closet door–and there he saw that little brown coat and the shoes as dry as they could be, evidently not having been out that night in the snow.

What should be our reaction to stories like that? Hebrews 1:14 says we should not be surprised. That is what angels are for: to take care of the needs of God’s children in this life. God has created angels to care for you, to save you out of deep trouble, and to protect you from harm.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Touched By An Angel” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2018.

Billy Graham, “Angels,” 2nd ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 6-7.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.