Stand in the gap

 

So 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. --Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV)

Have you ever been asked to fill in for someone at work?  If so, you are familiar with the concept of standing in the gap.  If you ever played organized sports, you know that if a player is injured or not performing up to his potential, a sub will be sent in to take his place.  If you have ever been in the military, you know that when a front-line soldier is killed or wounded, another will be ordered to stand in his place.

The Bible is filled with examples of men and women who stood in the gap for their people and for God's glory.  Abraham stood in the gap for his nephew Lot with regard to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18).  God used Joseph to save his family from starvation by bringing them to Egypt (Genesis 50:20).  David interceded for God to stop a plague in 2 Samuel 24.  Esther stood up to the king on behalf of her people.  And we will see later that Moses stood before God to intervene on behalf of the people of Israel (Exodus 32).

So what does the Bible mean when it says God is looking for someone to stand in the gap?  How can we accomplish this task?  I believe Scripture teaches that we are called to prepare, to pray, and to preach.

Prepare

Isaiah 40:3 says, "A voice cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God."  This verse is cited in all four Gospels to describe the ministry of John the Baptist.  I believe it can also describe our calling.

Just as a co-worker would not ask you to fill in for her if she did not think you could perform the task, God prepares us for our own calling.  It's not a magical process.  It usually takes some work on our part.  The Bible speaks a lot about building a wall.  Like any construction project, it requires planning and preparation.  The materials must be purchased and delivered to the job site.  The tools must be available.  And the people must be ready, willing, and able to perform the task.

Ezekiel 13 speaks of a time when false prophets were rampant in Israel.  God warns His people that they should have been prepared for this.  Ezekiel 13:5 says, "You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord." (NKJV)  Just like building a fortified wall around a city helps prepare the residents for war, the same preparation should take place on a spiritual level.

Pray

Once preparation has been made, we must make use of the tools God has given us.  One of the most effective tools in our belt is prayer.  James 5:16b says, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."  Prayer has more power than most of us realize.

There was a time when God told Moses to step aside, that He'd had enough of the stubborn children of Israel.  God was ready to wipe them all out and start over, making Moses the patriarch.  Moses stood up on behalf of the people and saved their lives.  Psalm 106:23 says, "Therefore He said He would destroy them, and He would have done so had not Moses, His chosen one, stepped into the gap before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them." (AMP)

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit prays for us.  Romans 8:26 says, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."  Don't ever think of yourself as too weak or too wicked to pray.  Isaiah 59:16 says, "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought Him salvation, and His righteousness upheld Him." (ESV)

Not only was the state of God’s people bad, but no one among them took the lead in getting it right. Where was the man who would lead the people in righteousness? He could not be found. Where was the intercessor who would plead God’s case to the people, and the people’s repentance to their God? No intercessor could be found.

God waited and waited for a disobedient Israel to turn to Him. He waited and waited for a man to lead them back to Him, or an intercessor to plead before Him. None arose; so the LORD did it Himself. If a man or an intercessor would have stepped out, it would have saved Israel a lot of calamity. But the fact that no man or no intercessor stepped forward didn’t ruin God’s plan. He waited to work in partnership through a man. He waited to work through an intercessor. But God’s work would still be accomplished if none arose. (David Guzik Study Guide for Isaiah)

You can be the person that God is looking for to intercede for His people.  Your prayers can have a mighty effect.

Preach

Romans 10:14 says, "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (ESV)

It is not enough to prepare and to pray.  We must also stand up for God and speak truth to power when necessary. Isaiah 63:5 says, "I looked, but there was no one to help, and I was amazed and appalled that there was no one to uphold truth and right.  So My own arm brought salvation to Me, and My wrath sustained me." (AMP)  You and I may be able to avert the wrath of God against someone just by interceding for them and preaching the word of God to them.

There may come a time when it is too late.  Jeremiah 5:1 says, "Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note!  Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her." (ESV)  If the message is heard and rejected, then the poor sinner has no recourse. Jeremiah 15:1 says, "Then the Lord said to Me, 'Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My heart would not turn toward this people.  Send them out of My sight, and let them go!'" (ESV)

God help us stand in the gap for those who come into our sphere of influence.  Our voice may be weak, our reach may be small, but help us to prepare ourselves, to pray for others, and to preach the word of the Lord.  Let us stand in the gap for a lost and dying world.