Read: Psalm 103
Bless the LORD, O you his angels . . . his ministers, who do his will! (vv. 20-21)
In the opening line of the Nicene Creed, we confess: “We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” Believing Christians are committed to the biblical worldview that reality includes more than the things we can see or touch. There is an invisible reality that interacts with and ultimately transcends this physical world. Heaven—the place where God is enthroned—is real. And so are angels.
The Bible says a fair bit about angels, though there are many mysteries surrounding them. But this much is clear. Angels fight against the forces of darkness (Rev. 12:7), protect and deliver God’s people (Acts 12:7-8), join in worship of God (Isa. 6:2-3), and add their voices to the choirs of heaven in praising the Lamb (Rev. 5:11-12). Above all, angels serve God as messengers, as Gabriel did for Zechariah and Mary (Luke 1:19, 26).
My favorite Bible word for the angels is found in Psalm 103:21, where the psalmist addresses them as “ministers, who do his will.” Ministers are servants, from the highest archangel to the humblest believer. We may not be angelic, but we can at least be like them in seeking to do God’s will and share his message with the world. And we can certainly join them in praise.
Our God reigns! “His kingdom rules over all” (v. 19). So “Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion” (v. 22).
As you pray, say, “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, including God of My Days,Why Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
