Ruthe's Secret Rosesl
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Entertaining and Talking with Angels
Have you heard that expression, "entertain angels unawares"? It's from Hebrews 13:2, where
it tells us not to forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained
angels without knowing it.
It was Abraham and Sarah that first experienced this. He was sitting under a shade tree at
his door, when Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He went to meet them and invited
them to come wash up, rest, and have something to eat. They accepted.
Abraham must have shown this kind of hospitality before, as he quickly asked Sarah to bake
fresh bread, and ran to his herd to select a tender calf. He gave it to a servant with instructions
to slaughter and prepare it for a meal.
So far Abraham was doing what he would do for any stranger in his home. He had no clue that
these were angels until one of the men, whom the Bible calls the LORD, asked about Sarah and
promised them that they would have a son about this time next year.
Sarah heard from inside the tent and found that funny, for she thought she was too old for
childbearing. But the visitor heard her inner laughter.
The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child now that
I am old'?" Notice this is not just an angel but the LORD Himself, the one that centuries later was
later born as the baby Jesus.
Abraham went for a walk with the LORD as these angels made to leave. The LORD confided to
Abraham that He planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, which gave him opportunity to intercede and
beg for the lives of his nephew Lot, and Lot's family.
By being hospitable to strangers, we may find the LORD Jesus is the one we are really
welcoming. Tolstoy wrote a short story of a shoemaker who expected the Master to come visit him one
day, but several others who were needy dropped by and he hurried them along, only to hear from God
at the end of the day that He had showed up three times in these needy people.
Jesus said that every kindness we do for others as done unto Him, IS done unto Him, whether
that is feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, or visiting shut-ins.
The LORD knows our silent thoughts and attitudes, so we may as well be honest with Him. He
also wants to walk and talk with us, telling us what He plans to do. This includes an invitation to
pray for others and beg for their salvation.
Abraham had long worshiped and obeyed the Lord, but perhaps it was at this time that he
began to walk and talk with the Lord in a personal way. When he interceded for his nephew's family,
he was praying. By praying in an intimate, conversational way that we too can walk and talk with the
LORD even if we can't see Him in human form beside us.
This is a precious principle I've tried to live by since my early teens, when I discovered
that I could imagine myself walking and talking with the Lord Jesus, when I prayed. Being familiar
with lots of Bible stories and passages since my early childhood, and knowing much about Him, helps
my intuitive spirit to quickly sense when He approves or disapproves, or encourages and rebukes me.
Sometimes He simply reassures me of His love and that He is with me. When reading the Bible I often
sense that He is speaking the words of a passage specifically to me too.
He especially encourages me to talk to Him about others, both from this story of Abraham,
and other passages. The best way to know what God says on any subject is to read often and
thoughtfully in the Bible. Yes, you and I can entertain and talk with angels too!
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