Yes, angels are real, but do they bring good luck?
One writer asked Billy Graham:
My friend collects all kinds of figures of angels—porcelain, plastic, crystal, you name it. But when I asked her if she actually believes in angels, she said she wasn’t sure. However, she went on to say that she thinks these figures will bring her good luck. Will they?
Biblicly, angels have been charged with delivering messages like in Luke 1, and caring for believers like in Psalm 91. They brought provision to Elijah in 1 Kings and to Jesus himself in Matthew 4.
However, they are not good luck charms.
Graham did not mince words in his response:
I’m sorry your friend is putting her faith and hope in these figurines, because they are powerless to change anything about her life. So-called good luck charms, religious images, magic symbols, spiritual sayings and incantations—these and every other kind of superstition are powerless to bring us good. The Bible declares, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: I am against your magic charms” (Ez. 13:20).
Angels, however, are real—and they are real because God is real. God created them to be His servants, and unlike us, they are spiritual beings who do not have physical bodies (although at times they can assume human form). Their sole purpose is to carry out God’s will, and whenever we meet them in the Bible that’s exactly what they are doing. The Bible calls them “ministering spirits sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14).
Although angels occasionally make themselves known to us, for the most part they are invisible, and their work is behind the scenes and unnoticed by us. Only when we get to Heaven will we realize just how much they did to protect us and work for our good. We aren’t to worship them, the Bible says—but we are to take comfort in them and thank God for them.
Encourage your friend to find her hope in the only One who is worthy of her faith: Jesus Christ. He alone gave His life for us, and He alone offers us the gift of eternal life.
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