Mine Angels Round About You

I’ve thought a lot about angels lately. I suppose that makes sense; December has come and gone with its nativity scenes, Christmas music, and soft glow of the holiday season. And yet, even as those heavenly images fade into frigid January, I’ve found myself pondering angels more often than before—not because it’s Christmas, but because I’ve needed them. If angels showed up in real life the way they do in the Bible stories, I think we’d all notice. There would be grandeur and thundering voices and a clear moment where everything suddenly makes sense. But the older I get, the more I think angels are easier to miss, not because they aren’t there, but because they don’t always look the way we expect.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland reminded us, “Not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day.” This truth has felt especially real to me lately. As I’ve pondered the angels who appeared to show God’s love to those of old, I’ve realized that I too have been comforted, protected, and strengthened by the angels, both seen and unseen, that God has sent into my life—angels who “walk with and talk with [me]—here, now, every day.”

Sometimes the way God shows His care is quiet but unmistakable: through people who notice us when we feel unseen or overwhelmed. Scripture is full of stories where help arrives just when it’s needed, often through angels appearing at just the right moment. Hagar, facing an immense trial in the wilderness, was comforted and guided by an angel who reminded her she had been seen by God (Genesis 16:6-13).

During a difficult family trial, I felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and unseen. But though I felt lonely, God reminded me I wasn’t truly alone. Friends brought dinner unexpectedly, my roommates sat with me as I cried, and random classmates offered timely words that made me feel known. Each of them was an angel in my life during that thorny wilderness season. As Elder Carlos Godoy reminds us, “The Lord is aware of the challenges you face. He knows you, He loves you, and I promise, He will send angels to help you.” In both Hagar’s story and our own lives today, we see a God who notices our struggles and provides help through angels we might not expect.

While angels often comfort us in our loneliness, scripture also reminds us that Heavenly Father sends angels to stand guard around us, protecting us in ways we may never fully see. Angelic guardians shut the mouths of the ravenous lions that threatened Daniel’s life (Daniel 6:22), guided Mary and Joseph in their escape from Herod’s violence (Matthew 2:13), and defended Elisha and the Israelites from an approaching army (2 Kings 6:15-17). In moments of fear and uncertainty, God provides divine protection to His children through angels. Like Elisha’s fearful servant, we might not always recognize the hosts that surround us, but heaven is nearer than we think.

Sometimes God’s angels stand guard, defending His children from danger. Other times, however, they provide the strength to endure challenges we cannot face alone. In 1 Kings, we read of an angel appearing to Elijah in the wilderness, strengthening him with food and rest when he was exhausted and despairing (1 Kings 19:5–8). This tender moment shows how God sends heavenly help when we feel we cannot go on. In Gethsemane, during the most painful moment in all of human history, an angel strengthened Christ as He bore the weight of the Atonement (Luke 22:41–43), giving Him the strength to endure what had to be done. These accounts teach us that angels do more than comfort and protect; they uphold, energize, and empower God’s children in moments that might otherwise overwhelm them.

During my time as a missionary in Malaysia, I faced challenges that often felt overwhelming. Struggling to learn a new language, adapting to an unfamiliar climate and culture, and carrying deep homesickness left me exhausted and unsure how to keep going. I could not have endured that season on my own, and God knew it. In His kindness, He sent angels to strengthen me when I could not take another step alone. Members welcomed me into their homes for meals, senior missionary couples quietly provided sunscreen and aloe vera when I could not afford them, and companions sat patiently with me as I cried. Through these small and steady acts of care, I was upheld. Looking back, I see the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise: “I will be on your right hand and on your left… and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88).

In the words of Elder Godoy, “The angels that walk among us in our everyday lives are powerful reminders of God’s love for us.” They may not always arrive with wings or thunder, but I know through both scripture and personal experience that they are still very much at work among us. They comfort us when we feel unseen, protect us in ways we may never fully recognize, and strengthen us when we cannot go on alone.

As we move forward into the new year, perhaps a resolution we can commit to is not only to look for the angels in our own lives, but to become them—to notice, to serve, and to lift where we stand. Elder Godoy declared, “The Lord is always looking for willing volunteers to be angels in others’ lives.” As we strive to become angels to others, we may begin to realize that heaven is not as distant as we sometimes imagine. More often than not, it walks with and talks with us—here, now, and every day.

Avery Palenske is excited to begin a new year! She has her resolutions set, her bucket list created, and is ready to tackle the next phase of this wild life of hers! With three trips already planned and many unnamed adventures coming up in the not-so-distant future, she is starting off 2026 booked and busy. No matter her crazy schedule though, she will always make time to worship weekly at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.