Hedged by God

“You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me” (Psalm 139:5)

Have you thought lately about what it means to be “hedged” by God? The word “hedged” means “to surround.” The psalmist says that we are surrounded by God. I don’t know about you, but for me…that’s a BIG DEAL! I often feel as though I’m surrounded by perplexities and disagreeable people and circumstances; but the Bible assures me that as a child of God, I’m surrounded by God Himself. He is so close to me that He lays His hand upon me.

The devil tries to convince us that God will leave us — even if only for a brief moment because of something we do or say. But Psalm 125:2 says, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” There is NEVER a time when God is not near us. He never forsakes us — in spite of our unfaithfulness to Him.

I live in the mountains of East Tennessee. From my back porch, I can see the Chilhowee Mountain range. Suppose I would treat those mountains the way some people think of God. On clear days, when the sun shines brightly and visibilty is good, suppose I said, “The mountains are really there because I can SEE them.” Then on cloudy and stormy days, suppose I say, “The mountains have forsaken me. I can’t see them.” That would be absolutely foolish wouldn’t it? In the same way that the Chilhowee Mountains are there whether I see them or not, God is always there — even though I may not see Him or feel that He is there.

According to Psalm 139:5, God surrounds me BEHIND and BEFORE. That means God never asks us walk any path where He has not already gone. No matter how rough the road, we can always see that God has prepared the way for us. God goes BEFORE us. But He also surrounds us BEHIND. He sets straight the things we have made crooked. Edna and I have 7 grandchildren. Whenever they come over, I learn quickly how small my house is! In addition, toys get scattered throughout the house. Even though their parents insist that they pick up their toys before they leave, we always find a few things that get missed in the cleanup process. Edna and I go BEHIND them and try to pick up what they missed.

In the same way, God is there to help us when there may be sin in our past which becomes a present source of distress to us. The Bible says all we have to do is confess our sin and “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). I have CONFIDENCE that when I ask for His forgiveness (in true repentance), God is faithful and He forgives my sin. He surrounds me BEFORE and BEHIND.

So today, regardless of what you face…remember you are HEDGED by God. He is going before you to prepare the way. He is behind you to forgive your past sins. Paul would say that because we are surrounded by God, He takes ALL thing — good and bad — and they “work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Your past is forgiven and your pathway forward is in His hands. We are SURROUNDED by a God who loves us and cares for us. No matter what happens in your life today — don’t forget that wonderful truth.