Do we have guardian angels?

In Matthew 18:10 Jesus states, “See that you do not look down on 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” (NASB). In this context, “these little ones” could either apply to people who believe in Him (verse 6) or to little children (verses 3–5). Jesus’ reference to “their angels” makes this is the key passage giving rise to the idea of guardian angels.


There is no doubt that good angels help protect (Daniel 6:20–23; 2 Kings 6:13–17), reveal information to (Acts 7:52–53; Luke 1:11–20), guide (Matthew 1:20–21; Acts 8:26), provide for (Genesis 21:17–20; 1 Kings 19:5–7), and minister to believers in general (Hebrews 1:14). The question is whether each person—or each believer—has an angel assigned to him or her. Do we all have an angel who acts as our personal “guardian”?

In the Old Testament, the archangel Michael is called “the great prince who protects [Daniel’s] people” (Daniel 12:1; cf. 10:21). So, it would seem that nations may have a “guardian angel.” But Scripture nowhere states that an angel is assigned to an individual for oversight or guardianship. The Jews developed a belief in guardian angels during the time between the Old and New Testament periods. Some early church fathers believed that each person had not only a good angel assigned to him or her, but a demon as well.

The word their in Matthew 18:10 is a collective pronoun in the Greek. Do not despise the little ones, Jesus said, because “their” angels are “always” watching the face of God—the idea is that the angels wait attentively to hear God’s command and carry out His wishes regarding people. The angels in this passage do not seem to be guarding a person so much as being attentive to the Father in heaven. The active duty or oversight, then, comes from God rather than from angels. God alone is omniscient, and He alone knows when one of us needs the intervention of an angel. The angels stand ready to serve and help one of God’s “little ones.”

The question of whether we have guardian angels assigned to us cannot be emphatically answered from Scripture. God does use angels in ministering to us. What that ministry entails is open to speculation. In the end, we know that our omniscient, omnipotent, all-loving God is mindful of us. We can praise Him as David did: