“Let those who seek my life be put to shame and disgrace. Let those who plot evil against me be turned back and confounded. Make them like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them on. Make their way slippery and dark, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.”
Psalm 35:4-6 (NAB)
When I graduated from 8th grade, my great aunt gave me my first bible. It was white leather with a gold zipper, gold letters on the front, and all the words of Jesus were printed in red. I thanked her and put it on a bookshelf in my bedroom, where it remained unopened for six years.
I never knew that the powerful treasure hidden within those white leather binders would eventually transform my mind, soul and spirit. After pursuing my own path, eliminating God from my life, during my teenage years, at the age of eighteen, He gave me a wake up call one night, through a dream.
I dreamed I was running anxiously to catch a train. I finally got there, and feeling relieved, I jumped on board, but discovered I had jumped aboard a train of coffins, traveling through a cemetery. I woke up with my heart racing, but had a new respect for God and a curiosity for His truth. I remember wondering, if there is a God, what does He expect of me? My heart opened up and the Holy Spirit started guiding me on a new path, closer to Him.
The following year I had a life altering experience by praying and surrendering my life to Jesus. From that moment on, that white leather Bible became my love letter from God, and I haven’t stopped reading scripture since. I later discovered the treasure and power of combining prayer and scripture.
A day came when I needed to use that powerful tool for the same great aunt, who gave me the bible in the first place. She and my mother moved in together in sunny California, since they were both elderly widows, and decided to spend the rest of their retirement together.
They were living peacefully until the estranged schizophrenic adult son of my great aunt started to regularly visit and harass them, asking for money. He was frequenting their home, asking for money. After giving him meals and money out of their kindness, they finally told him they had no more money to give. The day they refused him, he became angry and started kicking at their front door. Thankfully, he left and though they were unharmed, the threat of him returning was very stressful.
The day my mother told me about this, I was so worried, but also felt so helpless, living in another state. They knew to call the police if he returned, but I had a bad feeling about it and really didn’t want him to ever return again.
While I was unable to protect them, I began praying and reading Psalm 35. I could not protect them, but I knew God was able to. I lived far away from them, but God was near them, so I decided to put all of my worries and anxieties in God’s hands.
I prayed, reading out loud what God promises us in Psalm 35. I prayed that psalm, saying, “Lord, send your angel and drive him away like chaff in the wind.” I asked God to do exactly what the psalm says He would do, and a few days later, my mother called me. She told me that he ended up in a nursing home due to a double foot amputation, resulting from diabetes.
I was shocked, but relieved and thankful that my mother and great aunt were safe. He was alive and well cared for, and could no longer harm two helpless old ladies. God worked it out with a fair and just solution for all.
I have prayed this Psalm many times since then, and sometimes it’s not necessary for an angel to drive an enemy away. Sometimes God makes a way for us to be at peace with our enemies. Whatever the situation is, God will send His angels to protect us. When we pray God’s words, from scripture, we will see amazing and powerful results.
The words written in a white leather bible, which for years sat neglected on a book shelf, opened my heart to a mighty God, who fulfills His own promises, when we dare to believe Him for it.
Lord, you are a shield of protection for us, and your word is filled with promises, wisdom and expressions of your love. Thank you for angels who execute your faithfulness according to what is written in your word. Amen
