Rosie and her chicks share a large, secure enclosure near the house. They have room to run and play and fly. They have their own house, food, water and shade inside the fenced pen. Nothing can get in – or out of the pen (except me, because I can work the latches and door).
When the dogs are out in yard and wander near the pen, Rosie clucks and calls her chicks to higher ground. They follow Rosie to a roosting spot at the top of their house. Like feathered watchmen on the rooftop, they don’t rest until the dogs are gone.
The dogs wouldn’t really bother the birds.The barn cats however, are another story. This morning, Woody was perched on top of the coop, licking his paws and watching the chicks with interest. Rosie wasn’t concerned – but she should have been. Woody, our best hunter, would eat all three of the chicks if he was able to get into the pen (but he can’t, so don’t worry).
I waved Woody off the pen and thought of the “hedge of protection” God provides around us (Job 1:10). In the Old Testament times, shepherds planted dense, spiny, bushes rather than erecting fences or walls to protect their livestock. The thorny hedges deterred wolves and lions from approaching the sheep and goats. The hedges also kept the sheep from wandering off, usually (there is always that one…).
The hedge is a barrier between us and the “danger” (on both sides). When we pray and ask God to provide a “hedge of protection”, we are asking Him to keep the threat out AND our hearts close to His (keeping us in). Here is the trouble, sometimes, we don’t recognize the things that threaten our relationship or our intimacy with God. Rosie was alert to the dogs, but not to the cat – she did not acknowledge the cat as a threat.
Is there something in or around your hedge that needs your attention today? Is something keeping you at a distance from God. Ask Him to point out the threat/danger that you don’t see…and for the confidence to deal with it. (Psalm 91)
“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one…May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” 2 Thess. 3:3 &5
