Angels and Miraculous Events

                     by Dr. Mark Pitstick

Angel encounters are fairly common miracles that indicate there is more to life than just this physical dimension.  Numerous authors, poets, artists and visionaries have reported angelic visitations.  Many books and documentaries have described angel experiences by people from all walks of life.  As with NDEs, the greatest proof is the sheer number of such encounters, especially those that are confirmatory in nature. 

One story involving young Marilyn MacDonald was told by Sophy Burnham in A Book of Angels.  After being dropped off at school by her parents, “Marilyn had darted in front of a car and been hit and tossed high in the air.  Her parents watched helplessly as she hit the pavement and rolled over and over toward a large, uncovered, open sewer.  But instead of falling in, as expected, she suddenly stopped, right at the lip of the sewer.  The parents told this story to the doctor, and they all shook their heads in amazement.  How could the child have stopped so suddenly, at the very edge of the sewer, when she had been rolling so fast?  In a voice filled with surprise, Marilyn spoke up from the sofa and said, ‘But didn’t you see that huge, beautiful angel standing in the sewer, holding up her hands to keep me from rolling in?’”

Such interventions are described in scriptures of all religions.  The Jewish Kabbalah says there are 49 million angels.  The Koran speaks of angels wafting down by the grace of their Lord.  In the Bible, Psalms 91 states, “He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”  Or, apparently, a storm sewer.   

Angels, says Burnham, have been part of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Zoroastrianism.  Ancient Assyrian, Mesopotamian, Viking, and Greek cultures recognized angels as have, in some form or another, all cultures throughout the world.  Dante, Milton, Goethe, Swedenborg, and Steiner had angel visions.  More recently, such varying personages as George Washington, Carl Jung and Johnny Cash have reported seeing angels.

Some people don’t believe in angelic assistance because the obvious question inevitably arises, `If angels assist some people, why don’t they help everyone in distress?’  My understanding regarding this excellent question includes:

·        Angels do not impose their will on others.  If people make decisions to pass on or hurt themselves, that’s their free will.

·        We first need to ask for assistance, and then realize it may not always arrive how, when, and where we expect it.

·        We will never know how often we are helped.  Assistance may be subtle, undetectable, and preventive.

·        Souls may have chosen significant challenges to assist spiritual growth and angels wouldn’t interfere with this plan.

·        Earth is designed to be a place of learning.  If the Heavenly Host intervened and prevented all suffering, much of the earthly curriculum would be omitted. 

I believe that I experienced the grace and beauty of an angel’s visit as I was completing my first book.  While writing early one morning, I was looking for an obscure Biblical quote and couldn’t find any Concordance references.  I suddenly felt ecstatic for no apparent reason and heard a slight rustling.  Through my peripheral vision, I saw a white gauzy form like the fine lace-work of a wedding dress but as I turned to see it more clearly, it was gone.  I felt energized and interpreted this as a sign that my work was in flow with Divine will and my soul’s missions.  Immediately afterwards, I opened the Bible to the exact page I needed and my eyes went directly to the verses I sought: Hebrews 2:6-7 states, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? . . . Thou madest him a little lower than the angels. . .”           

My dad experienced what he considered to be angelic visits after his heart by-pass surgery in 2001.  On several occasions, he became very cold, but was so sore and tired that pulling up the blankets was difficult.  He asked God to help him and saw lights moving around him as if ministering to him.  One time, he felt as if they shook heat onto him as if from a salt shaker.  He immediately felt warmed to the bone by a source warmer than gas, wood, or coal heat.  On another occasion, he actually felt the covers pulled up around him and tucked in around his body.  

Much evidence indicates that God and the heavenly host—including angels—love, assist, and guide us more than we can imagine.  My this information comfort and strengthen you as you journey through life.