STANDING IN THE GAP

This brings to mind that the all-important ministry of intercession is not a calling for a few but for all Christians. It dates back to the time of the Prophet Ezekiel who revealed that the Lord sought for just one person who would stand in the gap for Israel but found none (Ezekiel 22:30).

As a result, the nation paid dearly for her numerous sins, as the wrath of God was poured out resulting in so much destruction and with the people being taken into captivity. Over in the New Testament, Paul revealed in his first epistle to Timothy that the prayer of intercession is one of those that must be offered for all men including those in authority, in order to lead a quiet, peaceful and godly life. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) 

It’s of great comfort to know that in Christ today, when we carry out the ministry of intercession, we are not alone. Romans 8:26 shows us that the Holy Spirit helps or aides us in our intercession by taking hold together with us in favour of or against whatever situation we are praying about. We don’t always have full knowledge or full insight into particular situations but He does, and by enabling us to pray by His power, we are assured that we have answers to our prayers.

Standing in the gap or interceding for others always has immense benefits; not only to those who are the subjects of the prayers, but to the intercessors as well. Two beautiful examples in the Bible are from the lives of Abraham and Job. Genesis Chapter 20 records that King Abimelech took Sarah for himself after being led to believe she was Abraham’s sister. The repercussions were largely unfavourable with his entire household becoming barren. After being warned of the Lord to restore her, Abraham interceded on this king’s behalf for the curse to be lifted. Worthy of note is that the very next thing we see is the Lord visiting Sarah herself; resulting in her conception of the son they had long awaited.

In Job 42:7, we also see how the Lord gave an instruction to Eliphaz, Bildad and Zopher – these were friends of Job who had counselled him wrongly into his time of great distress. They were to go to Job for him to pray for them to be absolved of their sin against the Lord. Verse 19 of the same chapter reveals that when Job prayed for them, his fortunes were restored two times over.

This month of April and beyond, make it a point of duty to take hold together with someone else against some challenge in their life, and as you do this, you will further encourage the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life. For more information on joining our ISM Prayer Groups for Ministers of the Gospel, kindly send an email to info@christembassy-ism.online