Thought for the Week: The ministry of angels

He called out to J.T. to jack the car up quickly. Stephen was totally trapped and soon passed out. He thought he was going to die because it seemed impossible for J.T., who weighs just 50lbs, to jack the car up. It had taken both Stephen and Mason to jack the car up the first time.

But J.T. first adjusted the jack and then began jumping up and down on the jack’s handle. Slowly the car began to rise, freeing his father and enabling him to breathe. Then J.T. ran to get Mason, who called 911. Stephen, who was in a critical condition, was flown to hospital by helicopter. He had 13 broken ribs, but no internal damage. The American Red Cross of Greater Idaho has awarded J.T. one of its “Real Heroes” awards for 2017. When he returned home from hospital, Stephen asked J.T. to try to jack up the car again, but he didn’t have the strength to do it. When he asked J.T. how he had done it before, he replied, “Angels!” J.T.’s mother, Jodi, says, “This whole thing is a miracle.”

The Bible clearly teaches that angels exist; they are personal, supernatural heavenly beings. When Jesus was born, a heavenly angelic choir appeared to the shepherds. In the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus prepared to die on the cross, “an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.” After the resurrection of Jesus, an angel rolled the stone way to reveal the empty tomb. When the apostle Peter was imprisoned for preaching the good news about Jesus, an angel of the Lord led him out of the prison.

Angels are one of the ways in which God cares for his people and gives strength to face the big problems and challenges of life. The Bible says, “Angels are only servants - spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.” Jesus taught that we all need to learn from the childlike faith of young children and their straightforward trust in God. When we are facing things that are just too hard for us, like J.T., we can ask God to help us. J.T. knows that his father, whom he loves dearly, is alive today because God sent his angels to take care of him.