The angel of the LORD encamps around
those who fear him, and delivers them.
— Psalm 34:7 (ESV)
Being surrounded is usually thought of as a bad thing. It describes what happens when someone is trapped; when they have no where else to turn, and when their options are limited. Most of the time its used to demonstrate how enemy combatants win wars – they surround the opposition and attack.
But being surrounded can be a good thing. We can be surrounded by love, although few of us are. We can be surrounded by blessings, which we probably are even if we don’t acknowledge it. Or we can be surrounded by God and His angels – who protect, defend and deliver us from our affliction. This is the opposite of the surrounding that happens by our enemy; they’re surrounding us for our good.
How often, though, do we forget that this protection is there? In the moments of trial, we have warriors who have already taken up the battle on our behalf. And not just one warrior who is swooping down from his previous post to rescue us, but warriors who are stationed around our lives; soldiers who are fighting for us before we know that the battle is going on.
There’s a verse in the Bible that cautions us to be careful – we may be entertaining angels unaware. Maybe we should also be grateful – those that surround us may come to our aid even when we don’t know it.