Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side. – Job 1:10
Recently I was thinking about how Satan accused God of putting up a hedge around Job. Indeed, for a time God did put a hedge around Job, protecting his family, his possessions, and his health. God blessed Job’s life abundantly. I truly believe that God has had a hedge around my life also—it is nothing that I have earned, but in His mercy God, has protected me and left that hedge largely intact so far.
In addition to the hedge that has protected me from most hardships, there is another hedge in my life that I did have something to do with. That was planted years ago when I asked the Lord to come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. That hedge is God’s protection against the snares of the devil, and it is what allowed Job to remain sinless during the devastating trials that he later went through. It is what has kept me faithful to the Lord as well. Although I am grateful for the Lord’s protection from physical problems and material loss, I am much more grateful for His protection against spiritual attacks.
My godly father has been a great example to me. In the last few years, I have seen that time has been the enemy of the hedge of protection from physical suffering. But, I have also seen that time has been a friend in cultivating the hedge that surrounds the inner man—it is strong and well. Anyone can have a strong hedge to protect against Satan’s attacks, but the Lord expects us to do our part in cultivating it. If we resist the snares of sin that we see and listen carefully to the instructions of the Lord, He will not allow the devil to overwhelm us.
As the Lord tarries and we age, we know that the hedge around our physical lives will inevitably deteriorate for everyone. But we also have the ability to strengthen the hedge around the inner man. Let us all take the opportunity that we have to build up the hedge that will never wear down!