Did I Meet an Angel Outside the Atlanta Airport?

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)

I don’t usually give money to strangers. I’m not heartless—just cautious. You never really know what’s real and what’s not these days. But something happened outside the Atlanta airport in April that made me pause… and wonder.

I was sitting on a bench, waiting on a hotel shuttle, when a man sat down beside me. He looked like anyone else—a tired traveler, maybe a little worn down. We exchanged a few words. He told me he was trying to get somewhere, though the details were vague. There was no hard sell, no pleading. Just… a presence. And a prompting I couldn’t ignore.

I gave him $20.

And then, instantly—my shuttle pulled up. I stood, boarded, and turned to look back.

Gone.

No trace of him. No one walking away. No nearby corners or exits. He had vanished from a space with only one way in and out—and not enough time to take it. One second he was there, and the next… he wasn’t.

I’ve replayed that moment in my mind more than once. I still don’t know exactly what happened. But Hebrews 13:2 haunts me in the best way: “some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

The truth is, angels don’t need our money or directions. They don’t need us to help them get from point A to point B. But God sometimes wraps His purposes in ordinary moments. He tests our attentiveness. Our compassion. Our willingness to obey that gentle nudge.

I don’t know who that man was. But I know this: I was prompted to give—and I obeyed.

And maybe that was the whole point.

Final Thoughts

In a world obsessed with the spectacular, God still moves quietly. Sometimes it’s through the people we’d least expect in the moments we barely notice. But heaven is watching. When God nudges you, don’t hesitate. The moment may be more divine than you realize.

---