Legions of Angels

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:22-24 (NASB)

I was reading my devotion passage from the Bible this morning from Matthew 26:26-46. I was so moved that I couldn’t stop reading. I continued to read about Jesus’ betrayal and arrest. It is so amazing how you can read the same scripture over-and- over again and each time gain something new. We all know the story. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. One of the disciples drew his sword and smote off the ear of one of the high priest’s servants. Jesus told him to put the sword away and Jesus was arrested. The Bible says in Matthew 26:56, Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. There is a lot to learn from the fleeing disciples, but today I want to focus on what Jesus said to them right after he told them to put away the sword.

Matthew 26:53, Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? Legions of angels--as many as 6,000 in a legion. Jesus had them at his disposal to be sent immediately thousands upon thousands of angels for his rescue from the situation. But what was it that Jesus had just prayed in verse 42, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. Through death, God’s will was what Jesus sought. Angels standing at attention, Angels ready to charge, Angels ready to minister, Angels waiting for just one word but what they heard was, “thy will be done.”

What were the disciples thinking? They weren’t, fear had gripped their minds. A paralyzing fear that sent them on the run. A fear so strong that they lost sight of God’s plan. Fear that caused them to think only of themselves. Fear that replaced faith. One was willing to stand alone in the crowd to see God’s will be done. God’s will—the plan of salvation. Jesus’ words are saying the same thing to us today. Do you not know that you can pray to “Your Father? God is able to do more than you ask or think. Legions are ready to minister, just ask.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all

the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

Pastor Julia Scott