Stand in the Gap – A call to Intercede

Recently I was deeply impacted and convicted after studying three amazing prayers of intercession recorded in Ezra chapter 9, Nehemiah leading the people in chapter 9 and Daniel 9; hmm…Interesting it is all 9 right, does it have anything thing to do with number 9? Well, I have no clue on that. But as I studied those chapters I was astounded at their heart of intercession- standing in the Gap for their nation, their people and crying out to almighty God on behalf of them. As God’s chosen leaders and shepherd’s their concern for the spiritual growth and well-being of their people was paramount and that reflects so vividly in their prayers that are passionate, heart rendering and powerful that the end result is corporate and national confession and repentance resulting in a spiritual revival of the whole nation.                                               

As you read through the three beautiful prayers of intercession - servant leaders crying out to God, you see so many similarities that are striking:

1.     It all starts with the reading of the Word. Neh 9 ;3 & Dan 9:2.

2.     There was a spirit of complete brokenness and absolute dependence. Putting on sack cloth, sitting in ashes and fasting. Ezra 9:3, Neh 9:1, Dan 9:3

3.     True personal and corporate confession of sins and repentance. No mask, no hypocrisy but brutal honesty before God.

4.     Calling out to Gods covenant faithfulness and His promises. Ezra 9:8 &15; Neh 9:8 &32; Dan 9:4

5.     A deep and genuine concern for the spiritual condition of their people and a holy passion to draw them close to God.  

6.     Their prayer was not for their personal gain or their families benefit but for their people and their beloved nation.

7.     They had spiritual eyes of discernment to see what was wrong with the nation and what needs to be done to correct it.

8.     It was all about His name - all three had one vision, “ to make Gods name great & known” Dan 9:19; Neh 9:10

As Gods chosen leaders who are called to move people to His agenda, in such a time as this, our primary duty is to stand in the Gap for our people and for our nation. There is nothing more powerful and world changing than that. The power of intercession is unimaginable – nations have been shaken, kingdoms have fallen down, entire countries have seen revival and transformation, churches have been re-energised, missions have seen sudden outbursts of growth and millions of lives have been touched because a faithful few have knelt in absolute brokenness and total dependence on Him. But in order to do so we need to have a heart of a shepherd to understand the condition and needs of the flock and to build them up spiritually.  If our hearts are not broken by the mess and terrible things that are happening in the church and missions today then we have become completely immune and calloused in our hearts as Jesus Says, we have eyes but cannot see and have ears but cannot listen. That is a terrible place for a leader to be in.

In the early church if the leaders intentionally set apart their time on teaching the word, interceding in prayer for the believers and the church (Acts 6:2-4), building the flock spiritually, protecting them from false teaching, loving them and caring for them, rebuking and correcting and equipping them for every good work; today's leaders many of them are so busy basically firefighting peripheral issues, jumping from one meeting & conferences to another, jet-setting and globe trotting, playing power games and politics, building personality cults and fiefdoms, exploiting and finishing off their flock as Prophet Ezekiel says in chapter 34:1-7 ‘Shepherds who feed ravenously on their own flock that God has entrusted them’. In biblical paradigm the shepherd or leader lives and dies for his flock, in today’s missional paradigm the sheep lives and dies for the shepherd and that is a sad testimony for the church.

Time is running out, situation is getting graver by the day, the unfinished task of missions is looming large ahead of us and more than ever we need hundreds of Cross-broken shepherds who are willing to stand in the gap and intercede for our people and for our nation. As E. M. Bounds the champion of Prayer aptly puts it, “What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use -- men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men -- men of prayer.”