Mortal and Heavenly Angels Minister on Earth

In one of the first Relief Society meetings in Nauvoo, the Prophet Joseph Smith instructed the sisters, “If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.” What a blessing and comfort to know that angels may be available in our time of need.

Sometimes angels are sent to warn, such as when an angel appeared to Alma and the sons of Mosiah and declared, “Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more” (Mosiah 27:16). Sometimes the message is more private, such as when Mary was told, “Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31). When Daniel was found safe after being thrown into the lions’ den, he said, “God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me” (Daniel 6:22).

In King Benjamin’s speech, he mentioned that the words were delivered to him by an angel of the Lord (see Mosiah 3:2–3; 4:1). Much of the message focused on the teachings, life, and mission of Jesus Christ in bringing souls to repentance. It was so powerful that everyone listening repented and announced their belief in Jesus Christ together (see Mosiah 4:1–3).

While serving as a member of the Seventy, Elder Shayne M. Bowen gave a conference address in which he told how angels blessed his family. After Elder Bowen swerved to avoid a car that crossed into his lane, the van carrying his family rolled over and landed on the passenger’s side. Their 10-year-old daughter, Emily, was trapped under the vehicle. Elder Bowen and a few others were able to miraculously lift the van onto its wheels. Although Emily was lifeless when the van was removed, she eventually made a full recovery. Elder Bowen said: “Those who lifted the van off of Emily observed that the van seemed to weigh nothing. I knew that heavenly angels had joined with earthly angels to lift the vehicle off of Emily’s body.”

Earthly Angels

In my youth, I went through a period of inactivity. I had faith in Jesus Christ but felt lost and lacked direction. I was thankful for mortal angels in my life. Some were in the form of loving people such as my parents. Others were elder missionaries who befriended and helped activate me in my early 20s.

There are earthly angels surrounding us who help and guide us. “The angels that walk among us in our everyday lives are powerful reminders of God’s love for us,” said Elder Carlos A. Godoy of the Seventy.

President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained: “Not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods.”

“There are two kinds of beings in heaven who are called angels: those who are spirits and those who have bodies of flesh and bone. Angels who are spirits have not yet obtained a body of flesh and bone, or they are spirits who have once had a mortal body and are awaiting resurrection. Angels who have bodies of flesh and bone have either been resurrected from the dead or translated.”

An 1843 revelation by the Prophet Joseph Smith instructs how to identify if angels are true heavenly messengers (see Doctrine and Covenants 129:4–9).

Doctrine and Covenants 84:26 says the Aaronic Priesthood holds “the key of the ministering of angels.” President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, taught that this key is related to the ordinances of baptism and the sacrament. He explained that by keeping the covenants we make in those ordinances, “we are promised that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. The ministering of angels is one of the manifestations of that Spirit.”

Faith in Jesus Christ often is a prerequisite for angels to intercede in mortal lives. Mormon taught that angels minister according to God’s word, “showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness” (Moroni 7:30; see also verses 29, 31).

God sends His angels because He loves us. “In his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations” (Alma 24:14). President Holland said, “From the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children.”

The Savior spoke of angels during His ministry (see Matthew 18:10; 24:36; Luke 15:10), and they were an important part of His life. They ministered to Mary and Joseph and others prior to Christ’s birth (see Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19; Luke 1:11–20, 26–30) and announced both His birth and His Resurrection (see Luke 2:9–15; Matthew 28:2–8).

After the Savior fasted 40 days in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil, “angels came and ministered unto him” (Matthew 4:11). And before the end of His mortal life, as He suffered in Gethsemane, “there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (Luke 22:43).

When Jesus prayed with the Nephites, He called the little children to be brought to Him. Jesus told the people they were blessed because of their faith and wept in joy with them. After He blessed the children one by one, angels descended from heaven and ministered unto the children. (See 3 Nephi 17:11–25.)

I believe that angels in many forms have ministered to me in desperate times: missionaries, doctors, loved ones, and angels unseen. President Russell M. Nelson affirms, “We believe in angels—heavenly messengers—seen and unseen; and earthly angels who know whom to help and how to help.”

Angels have always been a part of God’s plan. They serve as a reminder of the constant love He has for His children. At a time when the world is in constant commotion, we need to have faith that God still sends angels to minister to us. The presence of angels in my life has deepened my faith in Christ.

As you strive to recognize the angels in your life, seek for ways that you can be an angel for others. Ministering to the needs of those around you will open your heart to being a channel for revelation that may be an answer to their prayers.