Hedged In

 “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you to Myself.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Have you ever felt boxed in, like walking in a maze, facing a wall at every turn? Sometimes, walls or barriers are helpful, such as dividing rooms in a house, public restroom stalls, or keeping pets safe outdoors. Other times, wall-like erections can affect friendships and even communion with God with strategically placed dividers guarding our hearts. But what does it mean when God sets a wall or hedge in place? Why would He do this? When God erects barriers, it is always for the greater good. When He divided the Red Sea for the Israelites to escape Egypt’s army, the water must have been frightening as massive, towering walls stood to them on their right and left sides; but they walked safely across dry ground.

No matter the size or type of God’s hedges, they always serve a purpose. Three such barriers the Bible refers to are that of protection (Psalm 34:7, 125:2, 139:5, 10; John 10:27–29), isolation, that Jeremiah sometimes felt in his forty years while serving as God’s prophet (Lamentations 3:7–9), and thorns, the barrier God placed before Hosea’s wife and the Israelites because both were unfaithful (Hosea 2:6). We must believe the truths of God’s Omnipresence, that He is everywhere at the same time, His Omnipotence, He is all-powerful, and His Omniscience, He knows everything. Whether a person receives those realities does not negate the matter because He is who He is. As His children, God is behind us and goes before us (Psalm 139:5); He leads us on the right paths, watching over and protecting us as we walk the life-road prepared for us. Jesus and the Father are One. The Son holds us in the hands of our Father who covers us, and no one can snatch us from Him (John 10:27–29).

Psalm 125:2 tells us that God is all around His people like an immovable mountain and will remain in that position forever. He is before us, behind us, all around us, and has His hand over us because He loves us. Jesus has and covers us, and God holds and covers us—double-gripped in the hands of The Almighty—hedged in! 

God’s love is unconditional and everlasting. He promises never to leave us. But when you reject His protective care (go your way, follow your path), you may run into a prickly wall like the Israelites. Or you may feel isolated for a season, like Jeremiah. Though he walked dark, lonely, and troublesome paths serving God, he confessed he didn’t deserve God’s mercy; His faithfulness was new every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23). Whenever you find yourself walled in, God is in control and intends it for your good.