Читать книгу An Angel in Your Pocket - Rosemary Guiley Ellen - Страница 8

Sometimes God sends angels among us, disguised as humans, to test us. The Bible tells us, in Genesis 18, that when Abraham was camped on the plains of Mamre, three men appeared before his tent. He welcomed the strangers, and refreshed them with food and drink. Abraham was informed that Sarah, his wife, would bear a son. The idea seemed preposterous, for both Abraham and Sarah were quite old, and Sarah had never had children. Soon, she bore a son, Isaac.

Ruth Beck was visited by a mysterious stranger one day as she was about to leave her house.

‘My three children, ages ten, eight and seven years, were waiting for me in the car. I had to close the doors and turn the lights off. Just as I turned the kitchen light off, I heard a knock on the front door. Thinking it was one of the children in the car playing a prank on me, I opened the door. Standing in front of me, to my surprise, was a very tall, handsome stranger. He was very clean, clothes were pressed, all in black. I took special notice that he wore a cloak with a shoulder-length cape effect.

‘He smiled and said, “Could you give me something to eat? I’ve been on the road two days and have a long way yet to go.”

‘Startled, I thought, “I’m in a hurry.” Then I pondered, “What shall I give him?” There were just two eggs in the fridge. I hurriedly scrambled them, and buttered two slices of bread, and made a nice sandwich. I put greaseproof paper around it and put it in a paper bag. I added hot coffee to a bit of milk and poured it into a thick white mug, and took it all out to him. He smiled and thanked me.

‘Then I turned the lights out and went to join the children in the car. They said, “What took you so long?” I replied, “Why, didn’t you see, I fed that man on the porch.” They said, “What man?”

‘He would have had to pass the car twice to get on the porch. I said, “Let’s go look.” They hopped out of the car, and we all stood a few paces from the car. It wasn’t dark yet. There were no trees, houses or anything to obstruct our view. We could see no one!’

These are but a few of the ways that angels enter our world. No two experiences are ever the same. Yet, we ascribe such experiences to the same agents, angels. What are the factors that have shaped our belief in these beings?