The Angel on Your Shoulder
Psalm 91
It was late October and I was working midnight shift at the police station in our small town. It had been a quiet night until we got a call about a bar fight with serious injuries. It seems two friends had been drinking heavily when one decided to crush a beer bottle against the others face.
The man holding the beer bottle was a huge specimen. He had once played professional baseball but his love of alcohol sent him to the minor leagues. His younger friend was a ruff and rowdy kind of individual always ready to fight or get into mischief.
The big man had crushed the beer bottle along the side of his friends face ripping a deep long cut from the ear to the bottom of the jaw. It was as if he peeled half the face off.
The police arrived on scene and did their investigation but the attacker could not be located. On Saturday nights as this was, the police only kept one extra man on until 2AM when the bars closed. That left us with two police officers to patrol the town until 7AM when the day shift would arrive.
I was about 28 years old at the time and had been in uniform for just over 5 years. I had many opportunities to learn what a bar fight looked liked and I had learned the difference between being brave and being foolish in such situations. I was a Christian at this time and I was learning to exercise my faith in my everyday life. I was learning to trust God and His word and to trust that still quiet voice inside me we call the Holy Spirit. I had two small children at home and a young wife to provide for. I made every effort to do my job while managing to stay alive and return home after each shift. It was not always easy.
We had a practice of walking through the downtown areas and checking the businesses on foot. We did this twice during the night when and if time and circumstance allowed. Due to the busy night we had with the bar crowd I did not get to the foot patrol until nearly 5AM. By this time we were winding down our shift and usually got caught up on our paper work or did a foot patrol. I decided to do a foot patrol.
It was a clear cool night and I looked up at the beauty of the stars as I made my way around the downtown area. I got to a bridge when I noticed a huge dark figure approaching me. The figure grew larger and larger as we got closer and closer to each other. I quickly realized I was face to face with the man who had attacked his friend in the bar earlier that night. He was an imposing figure about 6 foot 4 and all of 300 pounds. I was 5 foot 8 and about 180 pounds. Of course I had a flashlight in my hand as I walked and a gun on my hip but I had hoped I would never have to use it.
I faced this Goliath and saw he was touting an aluminum baseball bat on his shoulder. He was in fact on the hunt for his one time friend who now wore a huge new scar on the left side of his face. It was clear he intended to finish what he had started and I found it kind of sad and poetic that he chose to use a baseball bat.
The baseball bat that had once brought him his greatest personal achievement had the potential to bring about his greatest personal shame and humiliation. If he got past me and made his way to kill his friend his life would be remembered as a murderer rather than a once mighty king of the pitchers mound.
I knew a little about his life, it was a hard luck story from start to finish but he had a great natural ability that provided him his ticket out. When he did arrive at the pro level he found himself in the fast lane. He enjoyed the fame and money but forgot his humble beginnings. Somewhere along the way he lost sight of who he had hoped to be and settled for something far less. His story reminds me of Samson and Delilah and how he tossed away a great gift for the vanities of life.
My Dad once told me stories of this man and how he had the makings of greatness within him but let it all slip away. He was now a broken man. Just like the broken bottle he had used to cut his friends face with his broken life cut and scarred him with a sense of failure while greatness was once within his grasp. It seems he never reconciled his failure with himself. He became a hard bitter heavy drinker who could not live with his shame.
I did not have time to reach for my radio to call for help even if I did call I knew it would arrive too late. All he had to do was swing that bat from off his shoulders and level it at my head. I stood at the right height for just such an effortless swing by this angry man. I had to find a way to defuse the situation and quickly. I noticed that the fish were jumping in the river below us and I asked him why are you using a baseball bat to fish with? He started to laugh immediately and dropped the bat from his shoulder to his side. He said they dont bite when they jump like that, there feeding on insects.
We turned and faced the river to watch the fish jump and I began to relate the nights events to him and told him how I had to bring him in. I told him I preferred he came in of his own free will and that it would look better on him if he did. I told him I would have to arrest him and he surrendered the bat to me. He then stuck out his wrists but the handcuffs would not fit him. We walked to the police station on foot and we talked all the way there about baseball and how great a player he had once been and about anger and about God.
I dont know if anything I said changed the future course of his life concerning God but I do know that he never went after his friend again. I do know he tried to make his marriage work and he tried to get off the bottle. I know that he wasnt always successful as he faced these things in his life but at the same time I respected him because he at least tried.
I realized that was all God was asking of me that night. To try to reach out to an angry broken man who had lost sight of his self respect and dignity. I still found him in the bars from time to time after that encounter but I knew that if I were ever in any trouble he would come to my aid. We had made friends while God had protected me with a guardian angel and as I trusted God to help me in a dangerous situation. From that day forward I learned not to fear the size of the enemy or the circumstances of the fight. I learned to put my faith in God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Some might say I took a foolish chance but I think God gave me just the right words at the right time.
Our scripture passage today talks about resting in the shadow of the Almighty. It talks about dwelling in the shelter of the Most High. On that dark and dangerous October night I was doing just that as I faced the terror of night. I believe that God does indeed assign His angels to protect police officers and soldiers and all those who willingly put their lives on the line for others. I believe that God also assigns angels to watch over ordinary Christians and ordinary churches such as ours. In fact the bible speaks of such things.
Hebrews 1:14 NIV
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Revelation 1:20 NIV
The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the angels [ Or messengers] of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches.
Luke 15:10 NIV
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Angels are not ours to command but are Gods to command and assign. They are His subjects and carry out specific duties. We must be careful to remember this. We are to call on God for our help not the angels. God may decide to dispatch an angel and the bible is full of such incidents but we must not be confused about the line of authority.
We have been going through many battles in our church lately. We have been facing difficult days as we labor for Gods kingdom but I say labor on. We have a commission to fulfill to preach the gospel to every nation. Let us keep our charge and let us continue to walk through the night in the shadow of the Most High God. Be brave and of good courage for the battle is not ours it is the Lords and He shall triumph. God will stand with you as you face the Goliaths in your life.
Exodus 15:2 NIV
The LORD is my strength and my defense [ Or song] ; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my fathers God, and I will exalt him.
Psalm 28:7 NIV
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
