When we study the appearances of angels from Genesis to Revelation (like we do in the Angels Bible study), we discover that the tension in a conversation regarding guardian angels isn’t whether or not angels guard people. They do! Angels guard God’s boundaries, something we see evident throughout Scripture. The debate regarding guardian angels typically surrounds the question of whether individuals are assigned a particular angel to protect and watch over them.
WHAT ANGELS DO—GUARD GOD’S BOUNDARIES
Before we consider the question of individual guardian angels, I want us to take a brief look at some of the biblical examples of angelic guarding of God’s people. This gives us the framework for what God’s Word does say on this topic.
GENESIS
The first appearance of cherubim in Scripture reveals the role of a guardian. After Adam and Eve ate forbidden fruit, they were banished from the garden of Eden. Genesis 3:24 says, “ After sending them out, the L ord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
Exodus
In Exodus, when God was preparing His people to enter the promised land, He assured them, “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you” (Exodus 23:20). This protection would guard them against the enemies who occupied the land.
2 Kings
While the text doesn’t specifically mention guarding, in 2 Kings 6 we see Elisha ask the Lord to open his servant’s eyes to see that more were on their side than the enemy armies. We get the sense that the hillside filled with horses and chariots of fire gave the servant a sense of protection knowing God’s armies were on the scene (2 Kings 6:17-20).
Psalms
The psalmist spelled out the protective, guardian role of angels clearly, “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone” (Psalm 91:11-12).
Daniel
In Daniel’s prophecy, we read that the archangel Michael stood guard over the nation of Babylon, “ At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued” (Daniel 12:1).
The prophet Daniel also experienced angels guarding him from becoming a meal for a group of lions. When King Darius called to him, Daniel responded, “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty” (Daniel 6:22).
Matthew
We find more examples of angels in a guardian role in the New Testament. An angel warned Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt when Herod sought to kill God’s anointed Messiah by killing infants (Matthew 2:13).
Acts
An angel was involved in guarding the disciples as well. He opened prison doors so they could continue to preach the message of life. “They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, ‘Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!’” (Acts 5:18-20).
This is not an exhaustive list, but it helps us see throughout genres of literature and centuries of time that God sent angels to guard His boundaries. God initiated their intervention, sending angels as His agents to carry out His instructions.
ARE ANGELS PERSONAL GUARDIANS?
We know that angels are involved in God’s work as guardians, but we don’t know exactly how it all works. Let’s look at two passages that are sometimes cited as evidence for the presence of individual, personal guardian angels.
Matthew
In a conversation concerning who would be greatest in heaven, Jesus made a brief allusion to what some interpret as a theology of guardian angels. We know that James and John aspired to greatness with their desire to sit on Jesus’s right and left in His kingdom (Matthew 20:20-23; Mark 10:35-40). However, Jesus spoke of a reverse economy where children rather than kings possessed great qualities. He said, “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10).
Acts
In the book of Acts, Peter was miraculously released from prison by an angel. He went to join the believers and tell of his experience. “He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, ‘Peter is standing at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind!’ they said. When she insisted, they decided, ‘It must be his angel’” (Acts 12:13-15).
It’s possible that the early church believed people had a specific angel assigned to them (and that the angel resembled the person they guarded) based on the Acts 12 account. However, much has been built on little when it comes to a scriptural basis for personal guardian angels. We can conclude that angels serve as guardians; we just don’t know how their assignments work when it comes to corporate or individual guardianship.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS GUARDIAN ANGELS RAISE
The concept of individual guardian angels raises several additional questions, among them:
- When is an angel assigned to an individual—at birth, at salvation, etc.?
- Is it possible to know the name of a personal guardian angel if we truly have one?
- If each person has a personal guardian angel, should believers pray for their angel to fight strongly on their behalf?
If a person is assigned their own guardian angel, Scripture remains silent on when this happens.
Regarding the names of personal guardian angels, the Bible is also quiet. While Gabriel and Michael are named in the Bible, the idea that we have named guardian angels is a textless doctrine.
Lastly, on the topic of praying for a guardian angel to be empowered on our behalf, we find no textual support. We never find a person praying to an angel, only to God. In fact, the prayers found in Scripture seem less inclined to instruct God regarding how to answer them. We tell God our needs and then trust Him for the answer.
For example, Daniel prayed words of confession, repentance, and praise to the Lord (Daniel 9). In response, God chose to dispatch an angel to bring him a message but not at Daniel’s suggestion. Perhaps, in his close relationship with the Lord, Daniel trusted that God knew best how to answer his prayers. We have no need to pray for angels or to angels. Instead, we pray to the Lord believing He is righteous and good. He knows best how to intervene in our lives and answer our prayers.
A NOTE OF CAUTION
As we consider angels as guardians, we want to exercise caution in not overfocusing on God’s creation and miss the wonder of our Creator. The writer of Hebrews tells us that angels are a help to believers in the spiritual realm. In a teaching about the preeminence of Christ over angels, he wrote, “Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Angels are servants of God, but they are not God. Jesus is God. He is worthy of our attention and praise (Hebrews 1:2-4).
It’s amazing that among their other responsibilities, angels guard God’s boundaries. They minister to believers, and Scripture revealed their history of protection of God’s people. But Jesus is far greater. May we never get so caught up in the idea of guardian angels that we lose sight of the perfect Son of God who radiates God’s glory, sustains everything, cleanses our sins, and sits at the place of honor at the right hand of our majestic God in heaven!
If you want to dive deeper into your study of angels, join us for the Angels online Bible study this spring! You’ll be able to watch the weekly teaching videos for free for a limited time!
Plus, sign up for this free live webinar with Melissa Spoelstra and Andrea Lennon. On March 16 at 1 p.m. CT, we’ll explore how studying angels and the supernatural realm helps us better understand who God is, how He works, and where our hope is found.
About Melissa Spoelstra
Melissa Spoelstra is a women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher, and author who is madly in love with Jesus. She is passionate about studying God’s Word and helping women of all ages to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. She has a degree in Bible theology, and she enjoys teaching God’s Word to the body of Christ, traveling to diverse groups and churches across the nation. Melissa is the author of many Bible studies, including The Gospel of John: Savoring the Peace of Jesus in a Chaotic World and Isaiah: Striving Less and Trusting God More. She enjoys spending time with her pastor husband, Sean, and their four adult children: Zach, Abby, Sara, and Rachel.
