Since I was a child, I have felt curiosity about angels. I am not referring only to the images we usually see in old paintings, with outstretched wings and radiant faces, but to that profound reality taught in the Scriptures: beings sent from God, messengers and guardians who participate in the work of salvation. Every time I read in Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 the Lord’s promise: “And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up”, I feel that this promise is not an ornament of religious language, but a guarantee of divine love and power. We do not walk alone; heaven, in its infinite mercy, surrounds us with invisible help to sustain us in the journey.
And when I read in Doctrine and Covenants 130:5: “But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it”, the doctrine becomes even clearer: angels are not strangers to our mortal condition, not beings alien to human experience. They have lived here, they have felt what we feel, they have wept, they have suffered, they have loved, and now they minister from the other side of the veil. This means that those who accompany us may very well be our own ancestors, brothers or sisters who went before us, and who now participate in the great work of our Heavenly Father.
The Restoration itself began with the ministry of an angel. When Joseph Smith prayed seeking wisdom, the Father and the Son appeared to him, but it was an angel, Moroni, who for years instructed and prepared him to bring forth the Book of Mormon. I think of that young farm boy, just 17 years old, in his bedroom, seeing a messenger of light appear who spoke to him with power and clarity about a work of eternal consequence. It was not a vain dream nor a distant vision; it was a real encounter. Moroni not only told him about the gold plates, but instructed him repeatedly, until Joseph was ready to receive and fulfill his mission. That confirms to me that angels are not limited to delivering brief messages; they participate patiently in the growth and preparation of God’s children.
Years later, again it was angels who restored the authority of the priesthood. John the Baptist, now a resurrected being, laid his hands upon Joseph and Oliver and conferred upon them the Aaronic Priesthood. Later, Peter, James, and John also came, restoring the Melchizedek Priesthood. How significant it is to know that those who walked with Christ in Galilee, who knew Him and served Him, returned as angels to reopen the path of salvation in this dispensation. Their hands, which had once blessed and healed, now placed authority upon two common men in Pennsylvania, and through them the power of God returned to the earth.
The Kirtland Temple is another powerful example. There, after its dedication, many witnesses reported having seen angels, having heard heavenly choirs, and having beheld glorious visions. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery themselves saw the Lord in the temple, and also Moses, Elias, and Elijah, who bestowed essential keys for the work of the last days. These events are not pious tales; they are solid testimonies that angels are deeply involved in the work of salvation, delivering keys, teachings, and power.
The history of the Church is filled with similar accounts. When the Saints made their journey westward, many pioneers testified of miraculous protection they received in extreme circumstances. There are stories of wagons that seemed to be guided by unseen hands, of dangers avoided at the very last moment, and of comfort that came during nights of hunger and cold. Some wrote that they felt the presence of angelic beings walking beside them. And it is not difficult for me to believe it, because the Lord had promised that His angels would surround His servants.
I also think of moments of martyrdom and trial. In Carthage, when Joseph and Hyrum sealed their testimony with their blood, they were not alone. Although armed men surrounded them, heaven was also present. Angels, invisible to mortal eyes, surely were there to sustain the prophets in their most bitter hour. Just as the Savior was strengthened by an angel in Gethsemane, His servants also received divine comfort in their final sacrifice.
What moves me most is understanding that this angelic ministry is not reserved only for prophets or chosen leaders. Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 makes it clear that all who participate in the Lord’s work may receive the companionship of angels. It does not matter if it is a young missionary knocking on doors in a distant land, a mother praying for her children, a bishop ministering quietly, or a new member struggling to remain faithful. The promise is the same: the angels are round about to bear us up.
In my own life I have experienced that truth. I have not seen an angel with my mortal eyes, but I have felt their presence. There have been moments when I have received strength that cannot be explained, when logic said I should have fallen. There have been occasions when a clear and precise idea has come to my mind at a crucial moment, and I know it was not merely the product of my reasoning. In situations of danger, when it seemed that everything was collapsing, I have felt protection that cannot be explained in human terms. I am convinced that in those moments the angels have been near.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:5 explains it clearly: “But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it.” This means that angels understand what we live. They have felt the weight of mortality, they know our tears and our joys, and that is why they can minister with true compassion. When I think about this, I am filled with gratitude as I consider that my own ancestors, my grandparents, perhaps even generations I never met, may be close, helping, inspiring, and watching over my life and that of my family.
This also gives a deeper meaning to family history and temple work. When we search for our ancestors and take their names to the temple, we are not carrying out a distant symbolic act—we are cooperating with the very angels who minister among us. They wait, they rejoice, and they participate in that process. Vicarious work is not merely an administrative service; it is a real bridge that unites the living and the dead, the mortal and the celestial, in one eternal purpose.
In the history of the Church, Wilford Woodruff testified of a remarkable experience in the St. George Temple, where he felt the presence of eminent men of history, who requested the vicarious work in their behalf. That account illustrates that angelic ministry is not a faraway or abstract concept, but a concrete reality in which redeemed souls actively participate in the Lord’s work.
Today, when I face the trials of life, I hold on to the certainty that I am not alone. In moments of weakness, I remember the promise: angels are round about me to bear me up. In my prayers I include a plea to the Lord that He will allow me to be sensitive to that help, to recognize it and give thanks for it.
The ministry of angels is not about spectacle or constant visible manifestations. Most of the time it happens quietly, subtly, almost imperceptibly. But its effect is undeniable: they strengthen, they protect, they inspire, they lift. They participate in the work of Christ, for everything they do, they do in His name. They are extensions of His love and His power. Every time an angel guards me, it is Christ who guards me. Every time an angel speaks, it is Christ who speaks. Every time an angel surrounds me, it is Christ Himself who surrounds me.
And the day will come when we will clearly see what we now believe by faith. The moment will arrive when we will understand how many times we were sustained by invisible hands, how many times we were protected from dangers we did not even perceive, how many times we received comfort in the midst of loneliness thanks to the ministry of angels. That day will be one of joy and gratitude, because we will recognize the faces of those who accompanied us. And many of them will be family members, friends, and loved ones who now rest on the other side of the veil, but who never abandoned us.
Until that day arrives, I live with the certainty that I do not walk alone. The promises of the Doctrine and Covenants are fulfilled, and they are fulfilled constantly. The Lord has decreed that His Spirit will be with me, and that His angels will be round about me to bear me up. That is enough to continue forward with faith, with hope, and with love, trusting that the heavens are open and that our Heavenly Father, in His infinite mercy, never leaves me desolate.
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