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I listen to a Christian band that got its start in the Jesus Revolution of the early 70s called Daniel Amos. They started as a country folk group but by the early 80s had transformed into a full-blown, alt-rock band.
One of their songs called Urban Legends has a chorus that goes as such:
I doubted the most,
Could not believe in all that
Till I picked up
The vanishing hitchhiker
He was an angel
I heard him say
“Stop tellin’ lies,”
Then he went away.
It’s always reminded me how enamoured modern Christians are with angels. Urban Legends is a kind of sarcastic warning to Christians to stop believing in things that aren’t real, including guardian angels appearing as hitchhikers on the side of the road.
Not too many years before this song, Amy Grant came out with a smash hit called Angels. Here are some of the lyrics for that song:
God only knows the times
My life was threatened just today
A reckless car ran out of gas
Before it ran my way
Near misses all around me
Accidents unknown
Though I never see with human eyes
The hands that lead me home…
Angels watching over me,
Every move I make,
Angels watching over me.
So, one song warns us against believing in guardian angels, the other tells us with certainty we all have them. What should a poor, song-loving, 21st-century Christian believe?
For starters, the Bible. What does it really have to say on the matter?
We look to the Bible as the final authority. Certain passages are often referenced in discussions about guardian angels:
Matthew 18:10 — Jesus speaks of “their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Protestants debate whether this refers to guardian angels assigned to individuals or a general angelic concern for believers. The text is not explicit about individuals having angels assigned to them like some divine bodyguard.
Psalm 91:11-12 — “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” This is often interpreted as evidence of God sending angels to protect His people in general, not necessarily assigning one angel to each person.
Hebrews 1:14 — Angels are described as “ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation,” indicating angels serve believers but not specifying individual guardianship.
These verses tell us two things. First, angels are commissioned by God for the protection and care of human beings. They collectively serve us for divine purposes. Second, none of these verses come close to saying that we each have a guardian angel following us around 24/7.
So, the answer appears to be somewhere between the two songs mentioned above. Angels are working to protect us and to minister to us in unseen ways. But they do it collectively. There is no evidence that we have assigned guardian angels nor is there any biblical proof for it.
The next time you see that mysterious man with his thumb out on the side of the road, regardless of whether you pick him up or drive by him, be assured: he is just a man. Should you ever narrowly miss bodily injury in a colossal car accident, take comfort in knowing that divine hands likely were doing their job.