Standing in the Gap

30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. (Ezekiel 22:30)

            We look around and the problems we see in our society and maybe even in our own family or workplace see so enormous that we think a single individual could not make much of a difference. The opposite, however, is the truth. The best and momentous advances in our history occurred when one person stood up against the indifference of their time.

            In Ezekiel 22, God identifies four ways that the culture in Judah should have been faithful but were not. The people including priests, princes, and prophets were very dishonest and extremely corrupt. God finally said, “I sought for a man…” This one life, this one individual could have been a wall of protection for a city headed for doomsday. The Bible is replete with individuals who “stood in the gap” and changed the world around them. There are those today who still provide this type of godly influence to those around them.

            In the 1980s, the late David Wilkerson was walking through Times Square in New York City where prostitution, drugs, and crime ran rampant. The famous author and preacher was praying that God would raise up a witness in the city. He said he sensed the Lord saying, “You do it.” So Wilkerson started the Times Square Church. Now, a little over 30 years later, the church reaches several thousand each week in worship and ministry.

            In the beginning it looked like a nearly impossible dream, yet today it is a strong witness in a part of NYC not known for vibrant churches. Moreover, when Wilkerson started the church, he was 55 years old – not even in the ballpark of the average age for a church planter. Yet, one man with God is a majority against the tidal wave of sin and compromise that can destroy an entire culture. It is not too late for you to “stand in the gap,” interceding on behalf of your family, your workplace, and your nation. Go and be the one standing in the gap for the Lord.