It was a beautiful Spring morning at a mountain retreat. There we were a group of preachers and spouses, worshipping in a quaint stone chapel. The stained glass windows were open to let in the morning air and the sound of birds harmonizing with our own worship music. A man wandered in and took a seat. One could feel the hesitancy of his presence for reasons that stem from too many church shootings, but we continued in our worship. As time progressed, it became clear that the man was of no threat but was in need of spiritual healing and wholeness. He joined in with the hand-clapping, he raised his fist in agreement to the preached word and when I looked again, he was wiping away tears. He spoke with those seated around him and after awhile a group of us went with him outside the chapel for a few minutes to pray with him and to lead him in a prayer of faith. He confessed Jesus and accepted Him as his Lord and Savior. We talked with him some more and he explained that he came to the lake to go fishing, heard the music and was drawn in to our worship service. The irony struck us as preachers but it was clear he didn’t know, so later in the service, I read to him the text where Jesus called Peter to become a fisher of men (Matt. 4:18-22). It was then he began to understand that he got fished that morning.

Time progressed through the service and he was given the opportunity to testify to what had happened and then he came back down the aisle greeting as many as he could before returning to his seat. He came back to me and hugged me and thanked me. I asked him his name and he said, “Mike, but don’t worry, I will see you again.” It puzzled me and I pondered it the remainder of the day. Once my husband and I returned home, we talked about the man and how even we had a moment of hesitancy. My husband wondered if God was testing us as a group to see if we would receive this stranger. I told him that if that was the case, we passed the test because we pushed past any fears and led this man to salvation. I told my husband about the conversation with Mike, and we wondered what it meant, when or how would we see this man again as we lived over five hours from where we encountered him and all we knew was his first name. My husband went about his activities that morning, and I continued with mine, but I could not shake Mike from my mind. Then it hit me! What if Mike is not just Mike.

My mind ran immediately to the angel in the Bible, Michael. A mighty, powerful archangel whose presence is mentioned in the book of Daniel, Jude and Revelation. In Daniel, Michael came to the defense of another angel embattled with the devil and later is described as the defender of people (Dan.10:12; 12:1). In Jude 9, he is described as an angel that disputed with the devil for Moses’ body and then in Revelation 12:7 he is described as the leader of a band of angels that waged war with Satan and his angels and caused them to be cast out of heaven. Throughout the Bible, we are presented with angels who make their appearances known to humanity in the form of men always as messengers from God. Then I remembered the verse above, Hebrews 13:2.

If God was testing a group of preachers, then we certainly passed the test. And if God was sending a messenger to me specifically, the message was clear, he will see me again. I take that to mean, one day in the heavenly realm, I will see “Mike” again. I went to the retreat seeking assurance from God that I am on the right path regarding so many things, but also to receive a fresh touch, a fresh anointing from God as well. I believe I received all I was seeking at the retreat. Whether “Mike” is just Mike or if “Mike” was an angel unawares, is left up in the air for me to wonder about. The greater gain was just having the encounter with “Mike” and the assurance of knowing that God cared enough to give me all I needed in the moment.

(Disclaimer: the above mentioned hesitancy is in direct correlation to the Emanuel 9 tragedy in Charleston SC, where 9 members of our denomination were murdered, some of whom were also in the ministry and were friends of some in attendance at the retreat.)