while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for angel is mal’ak while the New Testament primarily uses the Greek word angelos, the basis for the English word. The root of both the Hebrew and Greek words mean messenger – so simply put, angels are in fact God’s messengers. “Angel” is actually a job title. We see examples of this role from both the Old Testament book of Daniel and the New Testament Gospel of Luke when one of the greatest messages ever carried to earth was delivered to the mother of Jesus. There are numerous other accounts of angels sharing knowledge, revelations, warnings, instructions and even the law of Moses (Galatians 3:19 and Acts 7:53). Clearly angels are important to God’s plans and purposes and have helped to fulfill them at key moments in history.
Pray:
Lord, we are grateful for the dedication of Your angels in serving You and Your cause. Help us to follow their example by being faithful to sharing Your message of love and forgiveness entrusted to us: the message of salvation through Your Son Jesus. Their obedience has furthered Your kingdom, it is our honor to stand with them by furthering Your kingdom, too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
