"How could heaven's heart not break
On the day, on the day that You came?
Salvation's reason to celebrate
On the day, the day that You came."
Beautiful, yes?
It made me think. About what it must have been like to be an angel on the day God made an amazing announcement...
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Excitement filled the air. I and all the angels of heaven, as well as those serving on earth, were summoned to present ourselves before the LORD. Something big was happening but no one knew what. When we'd all assembled--ten thousand times ten thousand and more of us---Gabriel stepped forward and stood near God's throne on the left. The Lamb sat on a throne on God's right. He looked peaceful, serene.
God rose from his seat and everyone grew quiet.
"Today the prophecy I gave my servant Isaiah will be fulfilled." His voice thundered through the heavens.
A hushed murmur rose from the crowd of angels. We knew God spoke of the covenant he'd made with a human named Isaiah, one of God's chosen race, the Hebrews. Isaiah was obedient and faithful, and God had placed upon him the responsibility to be His voice throughout the ages to the disobedient Jews. Through Isaiah, God promised to send a Messiah, One who would save the entire world from sin. God's patience with mankind continued to amaze me. They deserved the same fate as the people in Noah's day, but God promised never to destroy them again. Instead, He set in place a plan of salvation that even I didn't fully understand.
Seeing Gabriel standing beside God, I wondered if perhaps he was being sent to save the human race. Gabriel would be a good choice. He was strong and mighty and God had sent him to earth on other occasions.
But just when I expected God to call Gabriel forward, the Lamb stood.
A collective gasp went through the crowd. Surely not the Lamb!
"I am sending the Lamb to be a sacrifice for all mankind," God said. "Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life with us."
"No!" angels shouted all around me. "Not our Prince!"
God raised his hand for silence. "It must be so. There is no other way."
I looked and saw Michael and his army draw their swords. Relief swept through me. The Lamb would be protected. No harm would come to him.
But God instructed them to put their weapons away. "The Lamb will go alone. He will become human. He will be born of a virgin and he will grow in wisdom and stature. After a time, however, the men of earth will reject him and kill him."
A terrible hurt rose inside me. I'd heard humans talk about something called sorrow and I knew this must be what they meant. The pain grew deeper than anything I'd ever known as I watched my beloved Prince--heaven's treasure--depart God's presence. I didn't understand how God could allow this to happen, but I trusted Him to know what was best. He had never failed us before and I knew He would not fail us now.
I felt a strange wetness on my face and was surprised to find tears dripping from my eyes. I looked and saw others around me wiping wetness from their faces too.
I hadn't known before.
Angels can cry.
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Stay tuned for Part 2: The angels come to earth to announce the arrival of the Messiah!
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This week's Prayer Shout Out countries are:
USA, United Kingdom, China, Singapore, India, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Netherlands, Georgia, India, Bermuda, Thailand, Indonesia, Israel, Russia, Canada
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