Dangerous Hope

I’m always amused when people earnestly pray for God to surround them with a hedge of protection. It amuses me because if I was going to ask God to protect me, I would probably ask for something a little bit more solid than a hedge. A hedge is merely a plant after all. Why not ask God for a concrete wall? Or a steel fence? Or a moat with crocodiles in it. Why a hedge? It seems so pitifully powerless as a protective measure. The truth is, in ancient times ‘hedges’ were different to what we might think of as a hedge today. Ancient ‘hedges’ were not ordinary hedges, but densely packed growths that consisted of a huge number of extremely sharp thorns. It was far too dense to crawl through, far too high to jump over and far too tough to chew through. These hedges were deliberately grown around a compound to protect it from wild predators like lions, hyenas, wolves, bears and leopards. In fact, hedges were better than walls since sharp, dense hedges were impossible for giant cats to climb over. In addition to the generalised protection promised to all who follow God, God occasionally steps into human existence and performs a miracle of protection. Times where people were goners, where people should have been seriously injured or killed, they are protected by a miraculous intervention of God.

Scripture References: Acts 16:22-26

From Series: When Pigs Fly | More Messages from Phil Inglis | Download Audio

From Series: "When Pigs Fly"

A series of 4 messages discussing the miracles of Jesus. Miracles of Deliverance Miracles of Healing Miracles of Provision Miracles of Protection