Standing in the Gap
My son, Kyle, is now a proud Texas A & M Aggie. It was a long process getting there because, despite good grades, he was not accepted into A & M out of high school. I think I was more disappointed than he was because I knew how much he wanted to attend Texas A & M, but when we talked about it, Kyle comforted me by saying, “Mom I prayed that if I was supposed to go to Texas A & M that it would happen. If I wasn’t supposed to go, I prayed that God would close the door.” Well, for at least his freshman year, God closed the door and Kyle attended another university.
During this past year, one of the prayers I prayed for my son was for his college future. I knew he would apply again to Texas A & M, so I asked that the Lord would make it clear where Kyle was supposed to finish out his college education. If it was Texas A & M, I asked God to make it abundantly clear. Last week, I received a text message from Kyle right before my Bible study. The group I lead saw me well up with tears of joy as I read God’s answer to our prayer for Kyle. He had been accepted into Texas A & M! This week, we made a day trip to College Station, secured an apartment for him and purchased some furniture. That same day, Kyle found out he had a job in College Station! My husband, Kyle and I all agreed that the timing belonged to the Lord and that because the timing was now right, everything fell into place.
In Ezekiel, intercessory prayer like this is referred to as “standing in the gap.” Unfortunately, in Ezekiel 22:30, God was looking for a man to stand in the gap for Israel by praying for Israel’s repentance of sins and salvation but he could find no one who was willing to do this. There was no one who interceded on behalf of their people or their country and the Lord was disappointed.
Intercessory prayer has become an important aspect of my life over the past few years. I pray daily for others but every couple of weeks, my prayer partner Donna and I get on our knees and “stand in the gap” for our family, friends, church, country and ourselves. We have seen amazing answers to specific prayers. Work situations have changed for the better, marriages have improved and we’ve seen God work in our children and in our own lives. An article I read on intercessory prayer stated that through our prayers, we might be literally breaking down the “gates of hell” in someone’s life. My accountability group prayed regularly for a nephew of one of our group members who was addicted to drugs. He has now overcome his habit and is a Christ follower. Our prayers are that powerful!
James 4:2 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” It’s important to take the time to ask. The answer will not always be “yes” but if we don’t take the time to pray, we can’t expect any answer whatsoever. Are you willing to “stand in the gap” for those close to you? Are you willing to be the one to cry out to God on behalf of another? God is looking for someone to do that so lives and situations can be transformed through the power of prayer.