Still using the book Angels as a launching point, it mentions an encounter with missionaries and attacking tribal warriors. I don’t know if it’s the same account or not, but I once read about something similar. It was so powerful that it has stayed with me for years. It told the story of a small mission station in Africa. One night, an attack seemed inevitable.
In the night, the missionaries saw the warriors approach. They knew there was nothing they could do to save themselves, so they all stopped to pray. They prayed all night long and the attack never happened.
It was months later that the chief turned to Jesus and the missionaries asked why they didn’t kill them that night. The chief explained that they couldn’t get to the building for all of the fiery figures that were blocking them!
Takeaways
There are several key takeaways here.
First: The missionaries may not have seen the angels—but God had opened the eyes of those who needed to see.
That detail matters. Because the story isn’t really about angels. It’s about the quiet, unseen mercy of God at work on behalf of His people.
Second: This was an act of mercy on God’s part. The angels could have been ordered to attack and kill the warriors—but that was not the purpose. Instead, mercy was shown. The chief later came to God, and it is reasonable to believe others in the tribe followed.
Third: Those we see as enemies may simply be future allies who have not yet turned to God. Remember that when you encounter those who would cause you harm—God’s mercy may be at work in ways you cannot yet see.
Two verses come to mind at this point:
Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 5:10–12 - Blessed are those who are treated badly because they do what is right. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them… People will say all kinds of bad things about you because of me. But be happy and glad. You have a great reward waiting for you in heaven.
God’s Work Is Not Dependent on Our Sight
We’re often tempted to measure God’s pretense and activity by what we can see and feel — what we experience. But Scripture repeatedly reminds us that God is working whether our eyes are opened to it or not.
Sometimes, God allows both sides of a conflict to see His heavenly beings at work. Other times, He opens no human eyes at all. But either way, His purposes are not diminished.
We looked at this one last time:
2 Kings 6:17 - Elisha prayed, “Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He looked and saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
The chariots were already there before the servant ever saw them. God’s protection didn’t begin with vision—it was simply revealed through it!
That’s an important distinction. Seeing is not what makes God faithful.
Prayer Often Precedes Protection
In the missionary account, the key detail wasn’t the warriors’ vision—it was what was happening inside the mission at the time. They were all praying for protection.
That theme appears again and again throughout Scripture and church history. God’s intervention is frequently tied to prayer—especially prayer offered humbly and persistently by His people.
Jeremiah quotes part of an account from Hope Price’s book. I don’t know the name of the book. Both incidents took place during World War I. The British government officially sponsored national days of prayer and she believed that this collective commitment to prayer played a role in angelic intervention on behalf of British soldiers.
One of the accounts is reported by Captain Cecil W. Hayward who says that the British troops saw “four or five wonderful beings, much bigger than men,” between them and the enemy. They were bare-headed; wore white robe; seemed to float above the ground!
These angelic beings were facing the Germans, and the enemy horses were terrified and stampeded off.
The other account was reported by Hayward as well. Later in the war, the British troops were surrounded again and it looked like the end. Once again, “luminous beings” appeared and caused the German troops to retreat.
When some of them were captured that day, they were asked why they surrendered when they had the British surrounded. “But there were hosts and hosts of you!”
Whether or not we can trace a straight line between prayer and visible outcomes, Scripture is clear that God responds to prayer.
James 5:16 - The prayer of a godly person is powerful. It makes things happen.
Prayer may not always change our circumstances immediately—but it always places us in the right posture before God.
Paul, Suffering, and the Prayers of the Church
The apostle Paul endured shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonment, and constant danger. Yet nowhere do we see him suggesting that prayer was unnecessary because God was sovereign anyway.
Instead, Paul prayed—and he asked others to pray for him.
Prayer was not Paul’s escape from suffering—it was his lifeline through it.
2 Corinthians 11:25–27 - Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was pelted with stones. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move… I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked.
Paul didn’t stop praying because life was hard. And the churches didn’t stop praying for him either. God’s protection often flows through the prayers of His people—quietly, faithfully, and collectively.
Obedience Matters More Than Experience
As fascinating as angelic encounters may be, Scripture consistently shifts our attention away from the experience and toward the response.
Joseph, the husband of Mary, encountered angels in dreams at pivotal moments in his life. Yet the Bible doesn’t linger on what the dreams were like. It focuses on what Joseph did next.
Matthew 1:24 - When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord’s angel had commanded him to do.
Joseph didn’t chase supernatural experiences. He didn’t ask for signs beyond what he had been given. He simply obeyed.
That obedience—quiet, immediate, and costly—was the defining feature of his faith.
“Even If He Does Not…”
The Hebrew boys facing the furnace understood something we often struggle with: obedience is not a bargaining chip. This is one of my favorite verses that explains what true faith and obedience looks like:
Daniel 3:18 - Even if he does not save us, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods.
Their faith wasn’t rooted in a guaranteed outcome. It was rooted in the character of God.
That raises an uncomfortable but necessary question.
Would God Fight for Us Today?
Would God fight on behalf of a nation, a church, or a people who refuse to stand for what is right?
Not if obedience is optional.
God’s protection is not entitlement—it is covenantal. Scripture is clear that blessing and protection are closely tied to faithfulness.
Psalm 34:7 - The angel of the Lord camps around those who have respect for him. And he delivers them.
Fear of the Lord here does not mean terror—it means reverent obedience, submission, and trust.
The promise is beautiful—but it isn’t vague. It is directed toward those who FEAR THE LORD.
Angels, Dreams, Scripture—and Us
Angels may appear in dreams. God may speak through Scripture, conscience, or circumstance. But the method has never been the point.
The question has always been the same:
Will we obey?
John 13:34 - Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.
We will not be obedient because we saw an angel one day, or think we will see one some day—but because we are grateful to a God who loved us when we were still His enemies.
A Quiet Conclusion
There may be more intervening angels around us than we will ever know. Most of the time, we don’t see them. And maybe that’s the point.
So whether God speaks through a dream, a verse of Scripture, or a quiet conviction in the heart—if He tells us to do something, the response remains the same.
God does not require our awareness to accomplish His will.
He asks for our obedience.
Do it.
Faithfully. Quietly.
Even when no angels appear.
