Angels watching over me

The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Psalm 34:7 ESV

I love Psalm 34. It is a psalm about how God always watches over and preserves his people through all their adversities. There are so many verses I could have picked. But it was this one that stood out for me this morning.

It seems sometimes that so much of what we call spiritual discernment is focused on demons and the demonic. But from my studies in the scriptures, I think we should correct our focus onto the angelic instead. By my calculations there are at least twice as may angels as there are demons. So if we see into the heavenly realm it should be the angelic activity that strikes us first.

Isn't this how it was with Jacob? When God gave him a glimpse in a dream into the heavenly realm, what did he see? Did he see the demonic powers that were at work in the world? No, he saw heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending from the throne of God.

Again, when Jesus promised Nathaniel (and all his disciples past and present) that they (we) would see greater things. What was he referring to? Did he say that we would discern demonic strongholds and territorial spirits? No, again he said we would see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

When Elisha's servant went out one morning and saw the enemy armies encamped all around, he didn't need any spiritual discernment to know the forces that were amassed against him. But when Elisha prayed, "Open the young man's eyes," what did he see? He saw the heavenly host, the angelic armies. He discerned that more are those who are for us than are against us.

God wants to open our eyes to the spiritual realm. Not so we can see demons under every stone, but so we can see the angels ascending and descending from the throne. They are ministering spirits sent to those who are inheriting salvation. That's us!

Whatever we are facing, the resources of heaven discharged in response are never overstretched. His angels are watching over us. Greater are those who are for us than those who are against us!