Hedge of Protection

"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 1:10

Imagine one day awakening to discover your home, your possessions, your children and your health were all gone? Almost impossible to even imagine such devastation, isn’t it? Yet this is exactly what Job faced. Job was “….blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” His possessions and position were impressive. Yet, when an attack of the enemy came, his world was shaken to its very core.

It is important that when we consider Job’s service to the Lord over 3000 years ago, we note that a very real spiritual darkness and force was at work to misplace and upset one of God’s servants. It is all too easy to point fingers at God when our worlds are upset and our hearts are ripped in two. Yet, as God’s children we must step back from the very hurt and heartache that is impeding our Christian walk and remind ourselves of the darkness that attempts to envelope us. Return to the first Chapter of Job. Satan’s attack on Job, his family, his health, and his possessions is plotted, planned and executed by a very real enemy.

“And the Lord said to Satan: 'From where do you come?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.’ Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Does Job fear 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. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person’.” (Job 1:6b-12)

Several noteworthy points beckon our attention. Satan is a very real force to be dealt with in the spiritual realm. If you believe he is dressed in red and rarely leaves his hellish domain, you are mistaken. Here Satan had an outright discussion with God. He had been checking out the scene on earth. Satan knew who God's servants were. He knew who served the Lord and who didn’t. He knew who had what, said what and did what.

On the other hand Satan was very aware of the Lord’s protection around Job. He recognized a hedge of protection around a man, his family and his property when he saw it. Does that not inspire you to engage in spiritual warfare and enlist the Lord’s army of angels to entrench your property, loved ones, and self with His hedge of divine protection?

Just as it was thousands of years ago in Job’s age, that kind of hedge protection is available to believers today. In the 1990's our family went out to dinner with our best friends. From the natural viewpoint of life, that seemed like an innocent enough event. Our conversation that night turned to divine protection. And to hostage situations. And to everyday dangers we face in everyday places. That night I was reminded and prompted to fervently pray for protection for my family.

The following day my husband called and told me to turn on the television. There was a hostage situation that had erupted at a restaurant next to his office. Not only had he been protected and had not entered that restaurant as he often did each morning, but also God’s faithfulness had prompted us to have this discussion on hostage situations the night before.

To this day, when I look at the photos he took of sniper teams on top of his office on that day, I am reminded and rejoice of God’s protection. What we anticipated as only being a night of pizza was designed by His hand to prompt us to pray for that hedge of protection around our family.