Prayer for St. Michael’s Day

The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him and delivereth them. O loving and merciful God! how I rejoice that Thou hast given me Thy angels for my protection and defense! Lord, Lord, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou visitest him? If it be a high honor for a humble man to receive a king’s body-guard and servants to protect him, how much higher an honor it is for us poor human beings to receive the holy angels to accompany and guard us on our way!

O Thou God of love! In Thine unspeakable goodness Thou hast not only given us all visible creatures, heaven, earth, sun, air, sea, and the fruits of the earth, but hast ordained that Thy invisible creatures, the holy angels, should be our ministers, and preserve us from harm. Thou knowest, O loving Father, how Thy children on earth are surrounded by danger and sorrows; for this reason Thou hast given them guardians to watch over and shield them by day and by night. Thou knowest how Thy children are perpetually beset by powerful foes, by the princes of darkness, by Satan and his hosts; and hence Thou hast provided them with mighty defenders, who are able to repel those foes and to guard Thy loved ones.

O my God, when weeks, months, and years pass away in succession, leaving me uninjured in body, unharmed in property, and able to go unmolested about my business, must I not ascribe all this to Thy Fatherly faithfulness, love, and mercy, because Thou hast kept and preserved me through Thy ministering spirits? O how many dangers, of which I was entirely ignorant, hast Thou not warded off through the mighty guardianship of Thy holy angels! Therefore, my God, Thou art worthy of love and praise to all eternity.

I beseech Thee, loving Father, command Thy angels henceforth also to guard me, Thine own. As the hosts of God met and accompanied Jacob when he was threatened with the greatest danger at the hands of his brother Esau, so let them ward off all danger and harm from me. Surround my house with a guard of angels, like the house of Job; let them be with me in the hour of need, as with Daniel; let them turn away all harm from me, as they turned away the flames from the three men in the fiery furnace; let them guard my daily supply of food, as they brought food and water to Elijah; let them encamp round about me, and accompany and assist me in my journeys, as they did Tobias.

O merciful God, grant me Thy Holy Spirit, that I may not grieve Thy holy angels by my sins, nor drive them from me by reckless living. Let me not force them to forsake me and to flee from my wickedness. Let me imitate them in Thy service, praise, and obedience here in this life, that I may become like them in the joyful eternity. Henceforth my motto shall be, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. My God, let Thy holy angels be with me in death, carry my soul into Abraham’s bosom, and accompany me to glory. Let me remain there forever in their fellowship and company, rejoice with them over Thy glory and majesty, join with them in the refrain, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts, and thank and praise Thee for this, as well as for all other blessings of Thy grace, for ever and ever. Amen.