Angels All Around
By Melony Coleman
I must share an amazing experience that just happened recently.
My husband is a pastor in the U.S. state of Oregon and it was opening night of our evangelistic series, “Revelation of Hope.” I have been encouraging more prayer in our church, so I decided that I would oversee the prayer room during the series. My team consists of mostly homebound elderly friends or people praying from their homes, so I wasn’t sure how much participation I would have during the meetings. I decided to create a prayer room anyway, hoping that some church members would be willing to come in and pray periodically during the meetings.
That first Friday night it was just me. I felt alone, but I prayed anyway. Again, Sabbath evening it was just me. I felt a bit more discouraged. I put on a beautiful rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer.” While it played, I prayed. “I know that where two or three are gathered together in Your name, You are there Lord, but what if it is just me?” I prayed silently.
When the song finished, I opened my eyes and the room was full of angels. I started crying as I looked around the room in amazement. The angels were tall, as tall as the ceiling, with broad shoulders. They stood shoulder to shoulder with their backs to the wall, around the edges of the room. I felt tiny compared to them. They had wings and wore flowing robe-like clothes. I was drawn to their faces. They looked like men, very handsome men. Their eyes were so kind and they smiled gentle, comforting smiles. Their facial features were defined and they had a warrior-like atmosphere of boldness about them. Their dark hair flowed down to their shoulders and they looked almost iridescent. While I couldn’t see through them, I almost could. Their forms shone with a yellow white color. I was only able to see them for four or five seconds and then they were gone, but I couldn’t stop crying for the rest of the evening.
I had been so discouraged, wondering if God could work if it was only me in the prayer room. He showed me in a miraculous way that if one person is praying, it is enough. I feel so unworthy and humbled that He would give me this great gift. I still cry often as I think about this sacred experience.
I continue to pray in our church prayer room alone, but I am no longer discouraged, for I know the room is full of angels even though I can’t see them. I just had to share! We must never underestimate the power of prayer. Even if just one person is praying, that’s enough. God is at work even when we can’t see.
Melony Coleman is a pastor’s wife and mother of three. She and her family live in southern Oregon.
HEART QUESTIONS: Have you sometimes felt alone in prayer? Have you prayed and prayed and still not seen the answer you’ve longed for? Or have you wondered if it makes that much difference since you are praying all alone? If you are tempted to get discouraged, remember Jesus prayed alone and look how His prayers changed the world! Consider Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, David, Elijah, Esther, and many others down through the centuries. At times they felt very alone, and yet their prayers moved heaven.
ACTIVE HEART CHALLENGE: This week, we’d like to challenge you to take one or two of the Bible characters listed above (or pick your own), and learn all you can about their times of solitary prayer. Use the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy for your Bible study research, and write down your findings. Then pick a characteristic that you really admire from one aspect of their prayer life, and pray that God will instill that prayer virtue in you.
“It was because Elijah was a man of large faith that God could use him in this grave crisis in the history of Israel. As he prayed, his faith reached out and grasped the promises of Heaven, and he persevered in prayer until his petitions were answered. He did not wait for the full evidence that God had heard him, but was willing to venture all on the slightest token of divine favor. And yet what he was enabled to do under God, all may do in their sphere of activity in God’s service… Faith such as this is needed in the world today—faith that will lay hold on the promises of God’s word and refuse to let go until Heaven hears.” Prayer, p. 138
Going Deeper: Additional reading suggestions for this week
• Ellen White, The Truth About Angels. Click Here to Read
• Cindy Mercer, Pray Big: God Can Do So Much More!
Day 36 – Prayer Focus – Friday, May 1, 2020
PRAISE REPORT: We praise the Lord for all the church groups and ministries that are continuing to find creative and helpful ways to reach out to those who are struggling! Many lives are being touched by the love of Jesus!
• Pray for church members who live in densely populated cities around the world at this time of pandemic. Pray for protection and provision for their needs.
• Pray for endurance for medical professionals around the world who have been fighting this coronavirus pandemic for weeks and months now.
• Pray that God’s people would continue to study deeply in His Word, spend much time in prayer, put away their sins, and prepare for Jesus soon coming.
• Ask God to show you how to pray in this time of crisis.
To download this week's devotional and prayer requests, click here!