Perhaps the most important thing that you can do to protect your family from evil is to intercede in prayer
daily for your family. We have a great example of this in a Bible person whom many people do not readily associate
with intercessory prayer: Job.
The book of Job begins by telling us that Job was a man who was “blameless and upright, and one who feared God
and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Job had seven sons and three daughters. We read in Job 1:5 that Job rose “early in
the morning” to “offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my sons
have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus Job did regularly.”
Even though Job's children were grown and lived in their own homes, Job continued to make sacrifices for his
children every morning. In doing this, he was calling out to God on their behalf, requesting God's mercy on their
lives. His prayer life for his family was a part of his very character; it was his nature to pray as a blameless
and upright man who feared God and shunned evil.
We are called to follow in Job's example today. We are to live blameless and upright lives before our children
and also to pray for our children daily, no matter how old they are or what circumstances they are in.
• In your life, do you have people who pray for you daily? How do you feel when you know that someone is
praying for you daily?
A Hedge of Protection
God uses our prayers for others to establish a hedge of protection around them. This was Satan's lament when
he sought to bring accusation against Job and to attack his life. He said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have
You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?” (Job 1:9–10).
Job's life and his practice of intercession on behalf of his family were certainly major factors in God's creating
a hedge of protection that Satan could not penetrate.
A “hedge” in Bible times was not a little row of bushes or shrubbery that might grow in a yard or garden. It
was considered to be a high wall or a fortress-like structure. Anything that was “hedged in” was fully protected
from attack.
The Bible tells us God's hedge around us is generally established in one of two ways:
1. Through angels
2. Through righteous people
These are the foremost “methods” God uses to provide protection for us.
Hedge of Angels
In Psalm 34:7 we read, “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, / And delivers them.”
Elisha was a man who experienced an angelic hedge of angels. In 2 Kings 6 we read how the king of Syria was
greatly troubled by Elisha, who kept telling the Israelite army his every move. He sought to kill Elisha. With
that intent, the Syrian king discovered that Elisha was residing in Dothan. The Bible says that the King of Syria
sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant
of the man of God [Elisha] arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots.
And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” … And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray,
open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain
was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed
to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according
to the word of Elisha. (2 Kings 6:14–15, 17–18)
Elisha then led the blind army all the way to Samaria before their eyes were opened, again through the prayers
of Elisha!
• What new insights do you have into this passage of Scripture?
Hedge Provided by a Righteous Person
At various places in the Bible, we find references made to those who “stood in the gap” or “stood in the breach”
as being used by God to provide a defense for His righteous ones in the face of great danger or evil. Psalm 106:23
describes Moses as one such person who provided a wall of protection: “Therefore He said that He would destroy
them, / Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, / To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy
them.”
The prophet Ezekiel gives this lament of the Lord: “ ‘I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and
stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I
have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed
their deeds on their own heads,’ says the Lord God” (Ezek. 22:30–31).
• What new insights do you have into the power of prayer to protect your family from evil and also from God's
judgment?
Most of us do not experience this protective hedge formed by prayer for one simple reason: we do not pray with
consistency and diligence for our families. What wondrous things we might see if we were to adopt a daily habit
of praying diligently and fervently for those we love!
What Shall We Pray?
The Bible has a number of prayers that are appropriate for you to pray in behalf of your family. I recommend
especially the prayer found in Colossians 1:9–14, which says,
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it [news of their faith in Jesus Christ, their love for the saints,
and their love in the Spirit], do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge
of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him,
being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according
to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified
us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness
and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins.
• What new insights do you have into this passage of Scripture?
Let's take a closer look at four specific things Paul prays:
1. Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding About God's Will
Paul prays that the Colossians will be “filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”
(Col. 1:9). We are always in order to pray that we, as well as our family members, will know God's will for our
lives. In a broad sense, knowing God's will is knowing your God-given talents and abilities, and then knowing how
God would have you apply those talents to help others.
God desires that we have His wisdom about how to live our lives. Wisdom is highly practical—it is the knowledge
of how to apply God's truths. God also desires that we have spiritual understanding, which is an understanding
of how and why God does things the way He does them. Spiritual understanding is very close to discernment, which
is the ability to see “behind the scenes” to the true motives for good or evil that are at work in any situation
or relationship.
Ask God for His wisdom and spiritual understanding. Ask Him to reveal to you your purpose in living. Pray that
your spouse and children might also know the reason for their creation, have greater wisdom in their daily decisions
and choices, and be able to discern more clearly what it is that God is desiring to do in their lives.
What the Word Says
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be
given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting. (James 1:5–6)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things
that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but
which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Cor. 2:12–13)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Eph. 5:14–17)
What the Word Says to Me
2. Walking Worthy of the Lord
Paul prays that the Colossians may “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good
work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). The way to please God is stated here very clearly: be
fruitful in ministry to others and develop an increasingly intimate relationship with God and His Word. Surely
that must be our prayer for ourselves, that we might discover new and more effective ways to help others, that
we might have increasing insights into God's Word, and that we might have an ever-deepening relationship with the
Lord. We are never amiss to pray this on behalf of our family members.
What the Word Says
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with
all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:1–3)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase
the fruits of your righteousness. (2 Cor. 9:10)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve
the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled
with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Phil. 1:9–11)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hos. 6:6)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? (Mic. 6:8)
What the Word Says to Me
3. Strengthened with All Might
Paul prays that the Colossians might be “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all
patience and longsuffering with joy” (Col. 1:11). The kind of strength that Paul seeks on their behalf is enduring
power—the ability to survive times of persecution and to remain steadfast in faith. This kind of strength comes
as we draw our strength from the Lord, relying on Him fully to help us when we no longer can help ourselves. When
we draw enduring power from the Lord, we also experience joy. We know that the Lord is helping us and that He is
working on our behalf!
What gives us strength? Paul explains to the Ephesians that this kind of strength comes as we experience Christ's
love—when we begin to understand how much God cares for us and actually “feel” His love welling up in our hearts.
The person who is filled with love is a person who has great strength. What a wonderful thing to pray for
your family, that each member of your family will be filled to overflowing with God's love!
What the Word Says
I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full
and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil.
4:12–13)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … that He would grant you, according to the
riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in
your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the
saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that
you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:14, 16–19)
What the Word Says to Me
4. Thanksgiving for Our Salvation
Paul concludes his prayer for the Colossians by “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Col. 1:12). We, too, must offer praise and thanksgiving to God
for our family members and, in particular, for their salvation. If members of your family are not saved, your number-one
prayer for them should be that they will come to the point of receiving the forgiveness that God so freely and
mercifully offers. If your family members are saved, then your prayer should be one of ongoing thanksgiving as
well as a prayer that they will continue to walk in the light of the Holy Spirit.
What the Word Says
We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. (Col. 1:3)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,
for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who
has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:3–6)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your
work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,
knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.… And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received
the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit. (1 Thess. 1:2–4, 6)
What the Word Says to Me
Praying with Your Family
Not only can you use the prayer of Paul to the Colossians and other prayers in the Bible as a part of your intercession
for your family members, but you can also pray these prayers with your family members. Let your children
know what it is that you pray for them. Let them hear you pray. Invite their prayers for you in return, including
a prayer that you will be the best parent possible.
Prayer is something that every person can do for his or her family. There is no excuse not to pray. God
looks upon the intent and love of your heart as you pray; you need never be concerned that you aren't “using the
right words.”
Neither should you be concerned that you aren't praying in precisely the right way. If you are praying for the
protection of God against evil, and you are requesting strength and wisdom so that your loved ones might withstand
evil pressures, you are always praying for the right things. If you are praying out of love for your family and
out of a desire to see God work in their lives, you are praying with the right motive.
When Paul described for the Ephesians how they were to don the whole armor of God in doing spiritual battle,
he concluded his teaching by saying that those dressed for spiritual warfare should be found “praying always with
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18). Pray for whatever it is that the Spirit prompts you to
pray for your family members. Pray often. Pray about every situation, circumstance, relationship, and activity
that involves your family members.
Cover your family with prayer. And then trust God to cover them with His protection.
• What new insights do you have into how to pray for your family?
• In what ways do you feel challenged by the Holy Spirit today to pray for those you love?
From Protecting Your Family by Charles
Stanley. Copyright 1998 by Charles Stanley.
