Intercessory Prayer is Standing in the Gap
By: David McFadden
In the Old Testament, many large cities had walls surrounding them to provide protection from enemies. When part of the wall was broken down, the city was vulnerable to attack. Brave soldiers were needed to risk their lives by literally standing in the broken wall’s gap to turn back the enemy.
Today, “standing in the gap” is a term used by people familiar with warfare prayer and intercessory prayer. The principle comes from Ezekiel 22:30 where God sought someone, anyone to stand with Him to save the nation of Judah. Here is the Scripture reference.
“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22:30)
We understand from this verse that God did not find a person to protect the gap so Jerusalem fell to invaders. The point is that Jerusalem did not have to fall if someone had been willing to stand in the gap. God wants us to partner with Him by standing in the gap for those who need His provision. Jonah did this for Nineveh. Moses stood in the gap for the Israelite nation. And, of course, Jesus stood in the gap for each of us and all mankind. Anyone who has done anything to assist a newborn baby has stood in the gap.
God is still seeking men and women today to stand in the gap for friends, family members, and neighbors, as well as for spiritual revival and national repentance.
Standing in the gap happens on two levels, the spiritual as well as the temporal. First, prayer is vertical, so we stand in the gap by praying for people, agreeing with and standing on God’s plan and purpose for their lives. This, of course, includes resisting (warring against) Satan’s attempt to destroy the person we are standing in the gap for. When we stand for those who are unable or unwilling to stand for themselves, we ignite the spark of grace that each of us as believers has experienced through God’s goodness. Second, loving our neighbor is horizontal, so we back up our prayer by standing in the gap by loving people in a practical way. To be truly effective in prayer, standing in the gap means we must employ the practical application alongside the spiritual.
This is why soup kitchens (practical) that operate without preaching the liberating gospel message (spiritual) will mostly perpetuate poverty. Consider this: have you noticed that benevolence programs that operate without God’s transformative Word, get larger and larger no matter the state of the economy? Why? Because nothing is likely to change if Jesus’ message of redemption (transformation) is not part of the benevolent outreach. The gospel message of Christ’s redemption and heart transformation is the only true remedy for the brokenhearted, the mind captivated by vain imaginations, the spiritually blind and the demonically oppressed. Jesus tells how true deliverance only comes from the spiritual application given in the following verses.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19 NKJV)
These verses represent a spiritual mandate for every Christian to stand in the gap to bring God’s Zoe Life to the spiritually oppressed and the captive mind. God’s Word, through Salvation in Jesus, liberates the heart and mind, giving hope and a bright future.
As ambassadors of God’s kingdom, we represent Him righteously, outwardly to the people we know and meet. As believers, by standing in the gap, we provide a direct link to God for those who are unable or unwilling to stand on their own. This may also include meeting peoples’ earthly needs in a way that would exemplify Jesus—we are the hands and feet of Jesus. For instance, standing in the gap can, and does include, helping people when they have physical or emotional needs. This might mean providing meals when a person is sick or making a car payment when someone is out of work.
Meeting physical needs is easy to understand, so how do we stand in the gap to fulfill the spiritual aspect of God’s desire to rescue His lost sheep?
“I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them” (Psalm 91:14–15, NLT)
The answer? —Standing in the gap is engaging in spiritual warfare of liberation. By praying effectively, we put in motion God’s liberating power to seek and save that which is lost.
Standing in the gap means that we seek God for His principles and provisions on behalf of another person, knowing that He has the only viable a solution to restore, heal and reconcile, whether it’s a troubled marriage, sickness or financial issues that plague you or your loved one. T
his spiritual application produces and “looses” God’s provision for the person who is unable or unwilling to stand for themselves. Standing in the gap also means we back up our prayer in a tangible way. This dual-realm approach is most often necessary. God was speaking literally, as well as spiritually when He said, “He was looking for anyone to repair the wall and stand in the gap.”—Ω
Taking God’s Word Back to Him in Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for trusting me to stand in the gap for a vulnerable one whom You have given me to protect and defend in prayer. What an honor to partner with You by standing in the gap for those who need Your liberating power to set them free. I confess that through Salvation in Jesus, and by applying Your living Word, people can be liberated in heart and mind, giving them hope and a bright future. Therefore, I accept Your spiritual mandate to stand in the gap to bring Your Zoe Life to the spiritually oppressed and the captive mind. LORD, help me day-by-day understand and apply the meaning of what it means to stand in the gap. I ask You for, and trust You for, divine opportunities to answer Your call to stand in the gap for the lost and hurting. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Your precious Son. Amen.
Excerpted and adapted from, “Prayer by the Book”
Available on Amazon.com by clicking here: Prayer by the Book
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