"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven."-Matthew 18:10
Angels are mentioned a lot in scripture. It is not a subject we hear taught a lot about though. Author Lisa Tawn Bergren has added a new book to her God Gave Us series for children, this one addressing the subject of angels.
God Gave Us Angels is part of a series of God Gave Us books that include God Gave Us You, God Gave Us Love, God Gave Us Two, and many others. In this particular book, the author addresses Little Cub's questions about angels in a dialogue with her dad, Papa Bear.The book starts out with Little Cub looking for angels that the bunnies told her about, which her mama said were, as Little Cub puts it, "imbisible."
As I read through the text, I thought I would look up some of the scriptures that I believe the author could have taken the text from. I learned as I was researching, that depending upon which translation you read, angels are mentioned anywhere from 294-305 times in the Bible, according to an article on Bible.org. Here are a few samples of what you will find in the story, and the scriptures they match. I encourage you to do your own research on angels as well.
"Angels live to serve God. Whatever he wants them to do, they do. And he loves us. So Sometimes they bring messages from him to us. Other times they guard us or even fight for us. And they are always worshiping God"
-See Luke 1:30
"There are angels that protect us. Sometimes God sends them to keep us from harm. And sometimes he just uses plain ol' parents."
-See Psalm 91:11
"Angels can look so much like us, we wouldn't even notice them. That's one reason why we should be nice to everyone we meet, because some might be angels in disguise."
-See Hebrews 13:2
These are just a few samples of what you will find in the dialogue between Little Cub and Papa Bear. I am still researching for my own benefit. It is a hefty topic and so much could be covered. Lisa just gives our little ones an introduction to the celestial beings created by God.
As soon as I received my book for review, my little guy was interested. He listened intently as I read the book to him, and didn't budge until I finished. The text and the illustrations are both engaging. That is the real test of a good children's book, if it captures the attention and interest of its intended audience.
I am a big fan of Lisa's God Gave Us series. We have them all. My personal favorite is God Gave us Two. I would recommend God Gave Us Angels to any parent who would like to open the discussion about angels with their child. It is one of those books that will help you teach spiritual truths to your children. You will enrich your walk as a believer also as you, the parent, research and learn about where text fits in with the Bible.
Many blessings to you as you read!
Beth
To learn more about the author, Lisa Tawn Bergren, you can find her at lisatawnbergren.com.
To see more book reviews in this series, go to God Gave Us Christmas and God Gave Us Easter.
To see a sample go to amazon.com.
To see a sample go to amazon.com.
P.S. I did something I have never done before and wrote a second review of this book. The review you are reading is a bit more theological. The second one is more child friendly. God Gave Us Angels (Book Review #2).
P.S. I did something I have never done before and wrote a second review of this book. The review you are reading is a bit more theological. The second one is more child friendly. God Gave Us Angels (Book Review #2).
It's rare to find a book - even a Christian book, that gives a scriptural view of angels. To find one written for children really would be wonderful.
ReplyDeleteTruly! I think that we can all grow in our knowledge of the scriptures though. If you think something is in error, it is good to research it. In Acts 17:11, it is written
Delete"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."
So sometimes we may not know about something and have to search it out to find out if it is true. But sometimes something might be in error, and it is good for us to search it out too. Either way, we have strengthened our faith.