The Hedge

Where I grew up in West Texas, a row of evergreen trees concealed the house on one side and sometimes all the way around. These trees provided a wind break since strong winds constantly blow on the plains stirring up lots of dust. Farmers plant these hedges to protect their homes. Most of the hedges I remember were much taller than the home providing a barrier from the cold winds. Many hedges grow so tall and dense that they are impossible to penetrate. Smaller garden hedges repel small animals and keep them from consuming the foliage. Hedges are also a more attractive barrier than fences.

To live Totally Transplanted lives, we need hedges in our lives. Hedges provide protection in two ways. First, it keeps predators away from us. Animals such as rabbits and deer seek out food from gardens. If a hedge exists, they'll look for a breach to break through in order to consume the plants. Our enemy, the devil seeks out ways to break through the hedge the Lord put around us to protect us.

Do you remember Job? In the first chapter of Job, Satan presented himself to God and God asked Satan if he considered His servant Job. Satan responded that Job feared God because of His wealth.

"So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land" (Job 1:9-10, NKJV).

Did you notice the word "hedge"? God protected Job by placing a hedge around him. Satan admitted he was unsuccessful at attacking Job because of this hedge of protection. (The Lord puts a shield around those who place their trust in Him.) A friend of mine who owns corporate rentals recently experienced this type of protection. She received payment by check from a prospective customer, who had yet to arrive. A day later she received an email that he could not make it due to a family emergency and requested she refund the money via Western Union. She cashed the check at her bank, departed with the cash on her way to wire the funds when her bank called her to tell her the account and funds on the check could not be verified. She returned and deposited the funds to back into her account. This was definitely a scam. The Lord placed His hedge about her and protected her from losing a large sum of cash to a schemer.

The second form of protection a hedge provides is that it keeps us from straying into territory we don't need to enter. We may attempt to do things one way, but the Lord steers us in another direction. That's His hedge of protection around us. A biblical example of this is from Hosea. Hosea's wayward wife, Gomer, wanted to pursue her lovers for financial gain. The Lord said He would remove all the prosperity from her so she would return to her husband.

"Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, And wall her in, So that she cannot find her paths. She will chase her lovers, But not overtake them; Yes, she will seek them, but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go and return to my first husband, For then it was better for me than now'" (Hosea 2:6-7, NKJV).

Again we see the word hedge. This is the same Hebrew word with the same meaning for protection used in Job. Only this time, this form of protection keeps us from getting into trouble or it prevents us from getting our way so we will return to the Lord to seek out His will for us.

I recall a season in my life when I wanted my way so badly, but my pursuits were frustrated. I blamed my husband for all my suffering. Through this time, I came down with acute bronchitis and it almost turned into pneumonia. Needless to say, I when I finally sought treatment, I was put on bed rest for a period of two months. As mother's we don't have time to be in bed for two months. I definitely became walled inside my bedroom. Trapped, the only recourse I had was to seek the Lord. During that time, He revealed to me that He allowed my steps to become frustrated. He stopped me so I would change my course and stop blaming my husband. (Now I want to state that not all illnesses are due to sin. We live in a fallen world where diseases just happen.) I am thankful now for the Lord's protection over my life as I'm free from the bitterness that held me captive.

Hedges protect us from the predators and hedges keep us from hurting ourselves so we can live Totally Transplanted lives. Let's look for the spiritual hedges in our lives that bring protection, but also produce beauty in our hearts from the Lord. And remember to thank God for His protection over our lives.

 

  © 2009 Shonda Savage Whitworth

 

Comments

[Anna]

I can't say how grateful I am for God's hedge of protection! I can see countless times in my life that God steered me away from trouble or protected me from certain catastrophe.

Thanks for that good word.