Praying for a Hedge of Thorns

[506 words] Today, I read a memoir of a man who lived and died over 200 years ago. His name was John Carrol, and he died at the young age of 22 years. Instead of being bitter about his circumstances (e.g., the death of both his parents and his illnesses), he was somehow able to give thanks for his adversities. What shaped his way of thinking was a lesson he learned from a “hedge of thorns” near his house that had kept him from trouble as a young boy. I was moved by this young man’s spiritual strength and even more moved when I read what God said through the prophet Hosea, “I will hedge up your way with thorns, And wall her in so that she cannot find her paths” (Hosea 2:6). In this passage, God was declaring what he would do to help keep the nation of Israel…