STANDING IN THE GAP FOR THE LOST
Ezekiel 22: 29-31
29 The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. 30 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. 31 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.
ISAIAH 59:16
16 He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore, His own arm brought salvation for Him.
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
God looked for a man in Israel, just one person to stand in the gap and pray for the people and bring them back to God. There was no man.
God Himself says, “but I found no one” …. “And wondered that there was no intercessor”
God is still looking for a man or a woman, who can stand in the gap, “that I should not destroy it”.
God is looking for men or a women in the congregation who is willing to intercede, stand in the gap, to plead with God on behalf of His people whom He loves so much, that they would not perish but have an everlasting life.
One of the most ignored ministries today in the church is the ministry of intercession. The cry for lost souls, the cry for mercy has been forgotten. There are not many that are willing to stand in the gap for a person, a community, a country, a workplace, or a family member.
God says in Ezekiel 22:30
30 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.
To stand in the gap is when a person, a church or a group of people put themselves in between two opposing persons or standing in the place of prayer on behalf of someone else, pleading for their cause and God’s mercy. Exposing oneself for the protection of another.
For there to be revival and an awakening in a community, it is of utmost importance that the church prays again in faith for the lost. Prayer of intercession is necessary for the salvation of souls.
AARON STOOD BETWEEN THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
Numbers 16:47-48
47 Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So, he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.
In the book of Numbers, we are told that the wrath of God was against the children of Israel, and many were dying. Moses called on to Aaron to stand in between the living and the dead to make atonement and the Bible says Aaron stood between the living and the dead and the plague stopped. His action in standing in the gap saved many.
ABRAHAM INTECEDES FOR SODOM
GENESIS 18:17-33
The sin of Sodom had become unbearable, and God was about to wipe out that nation. God reveals His plans to Abraham and Abraham realising that his nephew lives in that nation, begins to intercede for Sodom. If only Abraham had gone lower than 10, maybe Sodom may have been spared.
However, Abraham’s intercession did not go on rewarded. In Genesis 19:29 we are told that God remembered Abraham. What is the significance of this. God remembered Abraham’s pleading and saved Lot and his family.
29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.
MOSES AND THE ISRAELITES
PSALM 106: 23
23 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 children of Israel once again had messed up, they had made themselves a golden calf. God was angry with them and was about to destroy them, wipe them out of the face of the earth. Once again, we see Moses step up and stand in the gap for the children of Israel.
Exodus 32:10-14
10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them, and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.”
11 Then Moses pleaded with [d]the Lord his God, and said: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.” 14 So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.
Moses interceded for the children of Israel that God would not destroy them.
PAUL INTERCEDES FOR THE JEWISH NATION
Romans 10: 1
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
Even though Paul made it clear to us that his ministry was to the Gentiles, we can however hear his heart in this letter to the Romans that his desire and prayer was for Israel to be saved.
When we comb through the scriptures, we will discover that its full of people standing in the gap in prayer for nations, communities or a person.
Nehemiah 1:6
6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned
against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.
Daniel 9:3-19
19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
Daniel stood in the gap and prayed for Israel, he prayed for the restoration and return of the exiles back to Jerusalem. He stood in the gap, despite being a righteous man and confessed the sins of the people as though he had sinned.
Hebrews 7:25
25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
In the book of Hebrews, we are told that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is forever interceding for us. He is always interceding and praying for us to live and walk blameless whilst on the earth.
Whilst here on earth we see in John 17 that Jesus prayed for the Church. In Luke 22:32 Jesus intercedes for Peter.
32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
In 1 Timothy 2: 1-6
Paul exhorts the Church in this epistle to Timothy that we should intercede, make supplications and give thanks for all men and women that they may be saved. He goes on to say that God desires all men to be saved and know Him.
1 Therefore I exhort first of all those supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Interceding for lost souls is a spiritual action which is an important ministry that the Church cannot afford to ignore. When we intercede in prayer we are actually standing in the gap for the lost. We are depopulating hell. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 tells us the god of this World has blinded their minds.
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Our intercession helps to remove that veil. Intercession allows the Holy Spirit access to their minds and bring conviction. Our intercession delays God’s wrath. Ezekiel 22:30.
30 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;……
Standing in the gap in prayer unleashes the transforming power of of God to bring change in a community, in home, in a family etc
Standing the gap provides a lifeline for the lost, it brings hope to the hopeless.
Standing in the gap shows that a Church is compassionate to the lost and obedient to God.
In today’s world where everyone is concerned about themselves, standing in the gap shows that we are selfless in what we do for God and humanity. It shows that we love God and love His creation.
1 John 4:9-11
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
In conclusion, standing in the gap is a display of our love for a colleague at work, people in our community, in the shops, young people in the schools, the list is endless.
John puts it this way 1 John 4:20-21
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
God loves the world, and we must love people too.
The Holy Spirit has shed the love of God in your heart as a believer, for your colleagues, your neighbours, your family members, your friends. Go and begin to stand in the gap for them.
