6 Things Angels Cannot Do.

Angels are beings of great power that exist across all religious teachings in one form or another. They exist in a nonphysical dimension beyond the limitations of the physical dimension that humans exist within. Angels are instruments of the Creator and can act as a messenger between humans and God. The exact number of angels is not known however theologians estimate in the “hundreds of millions” based on the apostle John’s vision documented in Revelation 5:11. 

The angels do have names although we do not know all the angelic names. They also have distinct personalities and specialties. They can communicate with each other and with humans in a variety of ways. They can think independently and have the freedom to choose between right and wrong. There are several different categories of angels based on power and authority. These categories include archangels, seraphs, cherubs and others.

Angels surround us throughout our life times and are always there to assist us when we ask for help. Sometimes it can seem like we have been struggling and struggling but the angels are not hearing our cries. Angels are always listening, but they can only help us if we give them permission to assist. With the exceptions of physical harm or an extreme emergency, angels cannot intervene unless we ask.  For this reason, it is not only necessary to tell the angels our problems, hopes and desires but also to be sure we specifically ask for their help, guidance or intervention.

However, angels do have limits on what they can and cannot do. If it just does not seem like the angels are hearing our prayers, it could be that what we are asking for is something they cannot do. Here are six things angels cannot do.

Angels cannot alter universal laws. 

For example, angels cannot alter the law of karma. Some traditions refer to this law as the law of cause and effect. This is a law of pros and cons, positives and negatives. It is a balance sheet for the soul. If a person is not entitled to receive a certain healing or gift because they have not built up enough positive karma in their ‘karmic bank’, the angels cannot override the law of karma and deliver the healing anyway. A person must be karmically entitled to receive the healing. What angels can do to help the person is to send forms of mercy and compassion to the person and those interacting with the person. This will help the person to ‘payoff’ their karmic debt faster with less resistance.  Angels can also provide the person with opportunities that will allow them to perform acts of service that will generate positive karma to deposit in their ‘karmic bank’. While angels cannot help us to alter universal laws they can provide us with the guidance and knowledge to work with universal laws in a way that is most beneficial to us and our situation. 

Angels cannot alter the divine plan. 

God has a plan for each of us and all of those plans are divinely and perfectly woven into a divine plan for the entire universe. In our limited human capacity, we could not possibly begin to comprehend all the intricacies to God’s plan. While the angels have knowledge of God’s grand plan and can comprehend it, they cannot change it. If we are asking for something specific in our lives that would require a change in the divine plan, angels cannot deliver on that request. For example, if a request was to help an individual move to India but the divine plan required that they spend their lifetime in the United States, the angels cannot change that. What they can do is help to realize one’s life purpose and understand the importance of this role in the divine plan. There also may be other ways in which the angels can assist in fulfilling the request but in a different way that does not alter the divine plan. We may be receiving an answer to a prayer, just not in the way we expected so we do not recognize it.  

Angels cannot alter divine timing.

Sometimes the answer to a request for help is, “Yes, but not now.” Along with the divine plan all things must occur in alignment with divine timing. The interconnections that must occur to have everything line up properly to fulfill a request sometimes take time because we are all connected. Like a house of cards if we move the wrong piece at the wrong time the entire house will fall. The angels will analyze a request and fulfill it as soon as divine timing allows. In the meantime, angels will help by providing nudges, information and opportunities that help us to be ready when the divine time comes. In that way we can take full advantage of the opportunity and realize the answer to our prayer as soon as possible once the timing is right. Sometimes we must be patient and trust that the angels know what they are doing. We must know that their desire is to help us in every way possible to live happy and fulfilled lives. 

Angels do not exact punishment. 

Punishment is a human construct. Angels do not judge us in any way for anything we have ever said, thought, felt or done. As aspects of God angels love and support us unconditionally. There is no judgement, therefore nothing to punish. While angels, when asked, may guide us in our free will to make choices that are for our greater good if we do not choose to follow that guidance they do not judge us for that. From the angels’ perspective, following their guidance may be a short cut but if we choose to take the long way around it is not wrong or worse, it is just a different choice. Ultimately all roads will lead us back to the same place so that the divine plan is enacted.  If we ask the angels to help us take revenge or exact punishment on another, they will not. They do not judge us, nor do they judge our adversaries.

Angels do not help us to avoid painful lessons. 

Angels cannot help us draw the “skip” card and advance us forward in life skipping over a painful life lesson. Certain lessons are a part of our soul plan and must be learned. This cannot be avoided, no matter how hard we may try. Angels can help us in learning the lesson as quickly as possible so that we may move forward. This can be done by helping us to see from a different perspective, helping us to recognize that there is a lesson to be learned and why, helping us to stop resisting the learning, and helping us to have empathy and compassion for ourselves and others. Angels can help us to manage our emotions, to grieve and to let go to minimize the pain, however the lesson must be learned. Angels do not want us to hurt, but sometimes that is part of what it takes to learn in life. 

Angels cannot intercede without permission. 

To help anyone, except for in instances of physical danger or extreme emergencies, the angels must be asked. Angels cannot interfere with our freewill or the freewill of anyone else. We cannot ask the angels to intercede in another’s life or alter their soul plan. This is not something they can do without permission from that person. For example, in requesting help to heal a relationship the angels can help us but the other party in the relationship must on some level also give permission for the angels to intercede in their soul plan as well. What the angels can do in a scenario like this is to provide nudges and signs to the degree that the other person in the relationship has also, on some level, given permission for the angels to assist them. The angels can help us to grow and change so that as we evolve we have a positive impact on our partner. This impact may in turn help them to change the way they respond to us, fulfilling our request for angelic help to heal the relationship.

The angels are always surrounding us, hearing our prayers and requests for help. They will never leave us. However, there are something angels cannot do. It is important to keep this in mind so that when we make requests we are asking for things that angels can do to help us. When a prayer does not seem like it is being answered, consider these 6 things angels cannot do to determine if the request is outside of the boundaries. If so, consider asking in a different way. Also keep your eyes open, the angels may have already answered your prayer in some way based on what they can do, we just may not recognize it because the answer is not what we expected

Dawn Demers/Beliefnet.com