Praying a Hedge of Thorns

The first time I heard of this Biblical concept was from a friend I met soon after our move to the state of Texas. She and her husband had been through untold problems with their teenage son who seemed bent at the age of 15 to do his own thing even at the cost of breaking the hearts of his family. She spoke of their family beginning to pray a hedge of thorns around this son of theirs. It was just a foreign thing to me but made perfectly good sense in the light of Scripture. She spoke of all of the answers to these prayers that kept their son hedged in from his usual rebellious activity and even, at times, the way his friends were “mysteriously” kept away from him.

There are two examples of this concept in Scripture that are often referred to, the first being that of Job. Job was a good man and a Godly man. Although wealthy as the world would count wealth, he was devoted to those things that really mattered in life, especially his family. Job functioned as the priest of his family as God intended the man of the house to be. In Job 1:5 we find that Job sanctified his children “and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all.” Job prayed, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” That verse ends by saying that Job did this continually or consistently. He had seven sons and three daughters. His daily concern was for their salvation and spiritual welfare.

However, Satan was watching Job. Oh how he loves to pull the godly down to his own level. Satan picked Job to be his next special project. Satan managed to have a conversation with God and if Satan was intent on picking on someone, God suggested Job. I don't know God's purpose or thinking in this but He knew what He was doing. However, Satan saw a problem with this wonderfully righteous man. Satan's quick reply was that it was no wonder God picked Job because with all God had done for Job, Job wouldn't be an easy pushover.

Satan said to God in Job 1:10:  Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?

Amazingly God lifted the hedge of protection around Job but limited Satan in what he could do to Job. Satan could not kill Job, but we find later that Satan did so much to Job that Job cursed the day he was born. Even in it all, God was right there. Job would know sorrow upon sorrow but would come forth as gold after the testing God allowed in his life.

Another prime example of the hedge of thorns of protection is in the book of Hosea. This book reveals to us a beautiful love story that symbolizes God's love for us and His redemptive work on behalf of men. We aren't sure if Gomer, the wife of Hosea was a prostitute prior to marriage, with Hosea knowingly marrying her, or if she turned to prostitution after her marriage. This Old Testament book illustrates the infidelity of the people of Israel and God's efforts to restore His people. She bore children for Hosea but was still bent on the ways of the world. It was a life of pure misery for Hosea and the entire family when Gomer forsook them and fled into the world to satisfy her own wants.

God finally told Hosea: 

Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.  And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.    Hosea 2:6,7a

Thorns come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have one special thing in common. They all have very sharp, pointed ends than can slice through human skin with little effort. When little, I thought the worse thorn I ever saw was on the stem of a rose and it hurt when I dared touch the point of it. Think of thorn bushes that usually have very little foliage. I can't imagine being hemmed in on all sides by such horrible hedges. No way would I want to walk through, break through, run through, climb over or crawl under such a hedge. God's hedge isn't going to be a physical one as just described. His thorns can take any number of shapes or forms where He makes use of various people or circumstances to deter ones determination to do evil. Those can be as bad as any real garden variety thorns.

When we think of thorns, we think of the crown of thorns pushed down on the forehead of Jesus prior to being nailed to the cross. Those were not thorns off of a small rose bush...they were long, pointed thorns that could do a great deal of damage to one's head....all for you and me.

When protected by God's hedge of thorns, one cannot get out from that encircled area nor can anyone get through unless they want to get pretty torn up in the process. God can lift that hedge if he feels we need testing, sharpened for further use to the Kingdom just as He did with Job. God's hedge can serve several purposes: protection, prevention of evil coming or going and God's purpose in one's life kept in tact. Our problem is that we don't know that this is a prayer we can pray for ourselves, family members or others that are of concern to us. Many parents pray for God's hedge of protection around their children who are living in rebellion. I hasten to say that this prayer isn't to be prayed just for those who are rebellious or who have rotten attitudes toward God. Our families are facing great stressers in our day. Satan is at work overtime wanting to trip them up any way he can. We must be faithful to pray. Not only do I pray this for children and grandchildren now, but did when children were in college or not living in our home. It can be prayed not just for family but for friends as well. I have prayed this for my church and pastor remembering that Satan is out after the church, it's people and it's pastors.

A word of caution...when we decide to pray for this hedge of protection, we must not be in the middle of our own sinful state praying that someone elses sinful state will improve. When praying for another, we should have our own doorstep cleaned off first.

We also can't pray other than with the purist of motives. We can't just want our lives to return to some normalcy even though that would be nice, that is if another person is causing us a great deal of discomfort. We can't have the attitude that we're sick and tired of rotten behavior and being embarrassed in front of the church congregation. Our prime concern

must be for the person we are praying for, child or adult and their spiritual welfare. I wonder how many of the prayers we pray out of wrong motives get canceled out because of our selfish desires.

Another thought...this isn't a prayer that we pray once and we're done. I pray this prayer most days for my children and their families. I want them to have God's special attention if such is ever possible. Again, this isn't a group of magic words we conjure up and then everything will be okay. As in everyone's life, God is still sovereign and sees our lives and the lives of our loved ones from His own perspective. He will work as He sees fit, but He loves our concern for others enough to ask this special thing of Him.

Let's pray boldly for friends and family whether for their protection or prevention of trouble...whether they know it or not, they are counting on you and me. I would also add that it can't hurt to pray for the salvation of our loved ones just as did Job. They don't have to know that we are doing such so as to save feelings of insult, but it can't hurt for us to pray in that direction anyway. I want those dear to me first of all knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and be in right relationship with Him. I then want to be faithful in prayerful support and with God's help to keep them protected form the evil one, his influence and his tactics that are so destructive.

Dear Father...Thank You for all You are doing in the lives of my family members. I pray again today that You will surround them with Your hedge of thorns keeping the evil one from them and keeping them inside Your protective hedge. I pray for my pastor right now that You would also keep him protected in every way from evil. You love these dear ones of mine more than I ever could and You know their every need they have today. I pray all of these loved ones of mine will find their peace and joy in You this day...peace and joy in abundance. I love You. Amen