When I was a very young mom, fresh out of the Amish culture, I was introduced to Bible Study groups and the idea that women can pray out loud and with authority.
As I was trying to make sense of my new world and this God Whose love knows no cultural bounds, I desperately wanted to know I was in His will.
Many concepts that I was hearing in church, Sunday School, and Bible study were foreign to me. And I wanted to be sure that I was pursuing the correct teachings.
Amish cultural teachings often project fears that most Bible Versions and teachers outside of cultural lines are not to be trusted.
Add that to the underlying teachings that women cannot understand, interpret, or teach such high things as the Bible.
My concerns were very real.
However, I also knew I was given a sound mind. And a teachable heart. And that I have a teacher; His name is Holy Spirit.
So, any time I heard a knew phrase or teaching that I had questions about, I would quietly dig into the Bible until it was settled in my spirit that this was truth and for lack of better wording… “safe to believe”.
Then something interesting happened.
How my Body Responded to Hearing the Hedge Being Prayed
For the first time ever, I heard someone pray “the hedge of protection”.
Immediately, my heart start pounding violently. That was the first time I had a physical reaction like that and I didn’t know what it meant.
I just thought maybe that third cup of coffee had hit right at that moment! lol
However, the next time I heard the phrase I had another physical reation. My heart beat strange again, and I felt a brief moment of weakness pass through my body.
This happened every time someone prayed the hedge, so I finally got brave enough to ask in Sunday School, “what does it mean to pray the hedge of protection?”
I got a quick answer was that it was a biblical way of asking God to be around us and keep us safe. Then it was advised, “you should pray it over your family, too.”
So, I did.
And I promply choked when I got the phrase “hedge of protection”.
I took a drink of water and tried again.
But my throat tightened so bad I couldn’t get the words out.
Findings about the Hedge of Protection
Frustrated, concerned, and very motivated, I turned to my Bible, determined to get to the bottom of this. I dug for hours and hours on that living room floor in our single-wide trailer house with my two toddlers playing around me trying to find where a “hedge of protection” is mentioned in God’s Word.
I found “a hedge of protection” first mentioned in Job 1:10.
So, yes. It is in the Word.
However, the other thing I found there told me exactly why I had such strong physical aversions to the “hedge” being prayed over myself and my family.
Satan said it first.
And if Satan said it, there has to be a lie or a loophole or a trick involved somewhere.
Sitting on that floor with my babies playing around me, I came to the vivid awareness that a hedge may avert or slow down evil things that can invade.
But a hedge does not keep out a snake.
A hedge has little holes to let things slide in.
A hedge can be burned down, cut down, or die.
It often has a gate to let things walk through.
A hedge offers no solid foundation to stand on or build on.
And a hedge does not cover overhead which would allow for those “fiery darts” to enter from above.
So, as for me and my household, I refuse to pray the hedge of protection.
What to Pray Instead of the Hedge of Protection
Pray the blood of Jesus.
Pray Psalm 139:5 asking the Lord to hem us in behind and before. Lay Your hand upon us, to invite God’s presence, guidance and protection over myself and my family.
Adding more Scripture like Psalm 18:2 to pray Lord, be our Rock and our firm foundation. Be our fortress; our place of safety and refuge. You are our salvation; the one we hold on to and trust.
Pray concepts from Scriptures like Psalm 5:11-12, where it says those who take refuge in the Lord will experience joy. That the Lord will bless the righteous and surround them with His favor as with a shield.
10 More Scriptures to Pray Over Your Family
- Numbers 6:24-26
- 2 Samuel 22:3-4
- Psalm 32:8
- Psalm 91:9-12
- Psalm 121:7-8
- Proverbs 18:12
- Isaiah 41:10
- Isaiah 54:17
- 2Thessalonians 3:3
- 2 Timothy 1:7
The Easiest way to Learn How Pray Scripture:
Get in the Word until the Word gets in you. Then keep at it. Your prayer language will change and become more confident as you grow.
You might also enjoy our free Annual Prayer Dare for Parents where we help you pray Scripture over our generations for 30 Days.