Do We All Have a Guardian Angel?

Our culture may not embrace God and His church but there is a fascination with the spirit world, including angels.  Angels are very peaceful, pleasant, and great gifts to give to others.  Most angels I've ever seen have wings and most are singing or playing an instrument.  I've enjoyed the TV series "Highway to Heaven" with Michael Landon.  There still seems to be a great fascination with angels, but I wonder at times if we have the best Biblical understanding concerning angels.  Here are a few things to consider about angels from Scripture.

Angels are created, spiritual beings (Heb. 1:14) with moral judgement and intelligence but without physical bodies.  They have not always existed, but they were created by God like the universe (Col. 1:16).  They do not reproduce like humans (Mt. 22:30). We know that they have moral judgement as some of them fell from their positions with Satan (2 Peter 2:4).  They also have high intelligence as they interact and speak with people (Mt. 28:5; Acts 12:6-11).  In Scripture they often serve as messengers, guardians, and worshipers of God.  As spirit beings they are typically invisible, but at various times they take on bodily form (Mt. 28:5; Heb. 13:2).  When the Lord returns, we will be raised to a position higher than that of angels (1 Cor. 6:3). 

We don't know how many angels there are, but there appear to be some classes of angels in Scripture.  Cherubims (angels w/ wings) that guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden after the fall of man and also seen as figures over the ark of God (Gen. 3:24; Ex. 25:22).  Seraphims are identified only by the prophet Isaiah as those who call out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Is. 6:3).  They are identified as "living creatures" who shout praise to the Lord (Rev. 4:8).  Most of us are aware of Michael and Gabriel, the archangels who oversee other angels.  Angels always receive their orders from God and are empowered for tasks for the glory of God.  Angels rejoiced in the birth of Christ (Lk. 2:14) and they rejoice in our salvation (Lk. 15:10).  Angels are active in worshiping and glorifying God (Ps. 103:20).  They are often identified as shouting praise to the Lord and not really singing.

Am I promised my own guardian angel for my protection?  Not at all.  God chooses how He may protect us and it may be through an angel and it could be through other means.  Angels should not be worshiped or prayed to--only God.  Caution should be made not to worship the created in place of the Creator.  Hebrews 13:2 tells us, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."  Angels are around us on this earth but we are often unaware of it.  Wayne Grudem says, "This should make us eager to minister to the needs of others whom we do not know, all the while wondering if someday we will reach heaven and meet the angel whom we helped when he appeared temporarily as a human being in distress here on earth."  Angels do minister to us and accounts have been given of unexplained happenings through strangers that seem to point back to some angel activity.  I don't necessarily discount these testimonies.

Once again, we are NOT to worship angels, pray to angels, or seek angels.  Our role is to seek the Lord who is in charge of all of the angelic forces.  We can learn things from them in Scripture, particularly how they minister to us and serve to worship God.