A good question. The angels are spiritual beings who have a free will and an intellect that is far superior to ours. The evil ones dwell in hell; the holy ones dwell in heaven and are therefore considered to be saints. Whoever is in heaven is a saint. God uses angels as messengers, guardians, and all-around helpers to us—as well as to reflect his glory. In Tobit 12:12, the Archangel Raphael said to Tobias, "So now when you and Sarah prayed, it was I who brought and read the record of your prayer before the glory of the Lord, and likewise whenever you would bury the dead." In Tobit 12:14-16, we read, "And at the same time God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law. I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord. The two of them were shaken; they fell face down, for they were afraid."
In contemporary terms, let's say I have been working at Home Depot for many years without a raise. My boss is pleased with the work I have done. To whom should I go to ask for a raise - my boss or the company's CEO?
In contemporary terms, let’s say I have been working at Home Depot for many years without a raise. My boss is pleased with the work I have done. To whom should I go to ask for a raise - my boss or the company’s CEO?
Great analogy!
Very poor analogy. Prayers and worship are for God alone. But then again spiritual things are spiritually discerned.
The angels aren’t omniscient nor omnipresent. They are not God, they are messengers and ministering spirits of God. They go where HE sends them and do what HE sends them to do. We don’t get to tell angels to do anything!
We can also do both kinds of prayers, if we choose. We are not limited to an either/or, but we can pray directly to God, and we can ask others to pray for us as well. God's written word instructs us to pray for each other, and even though God knows exactly what we need before we ask, He still wants us to pray to Him anyway, as He has clearly revealed in His written word:
If the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects, imagine the power the prayer of a holy angel has in its effects.------------------------------------------------------------
...pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.
James 5:16b------------------------------------------------------------
(I'm not sure why some people have trouble accepting go-betweens for intercessory prayers for others. Though He obviously does not need to, God often chooses to use created go-betweens to do His Holy Will, as He did when He chose all human beings as go-betweens to write every single word in every single "book" in the Bible, and He often chose to use angels as go-betweens, to deliver messages, for example, like you mentioned.)
Awesome!