Is There A Man To Stand in the Gap?
Israel has an Intercessor. Let’s join Him!
Paulie: What's the attraction?
Rocky: I dunno... she fills gaps.
Paulie: What 'gaps'?
Rocky: I dunno, she's got gaps, I got gaps, together we fill gaps.[1]
The word intercede means to “stand in the gap.” This is where we get the words “intercession” and “intercessor”. A spiritual intercessor stands “in the gap” between heaven and earth, between the current conditions and God’s desires. An intercessor is a mediator, a priest, who carries the lost, broken, sinful, hurting, needy to the Lord in prayer.
Abraham is an example of an intercessor in Genesis 18:22-33. He wrestled with God over the fate of Sodom for the sake of his nephew Lot. God wanted to bring judgment on the city, and Abraham pleaded for mercy. He was humble yet bold, and God heard his prayers.
In Ezekiel’s day, God was looking for an intercessor for Israel. Was there not a man like Abraham who could come before God in Ezekiel’s time with bold prayers for the fate of Israel? Unfortunately, no.
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30
This verse has been used for years to mobilize intercessory prayer. It’s powerful because we can feel the sting of God’s rebuke through Ezekiel. The lack of anyone to build the wall is heartbreaking. Where are the intercessors? Where are the prayer warriors?
As I recently read this verse, I felt that pain again. Who will pray? Who will build the wall? And then the word “man” jumped off the page. “I sought for a man among them.” God wasn’t looking for the crowd. He was looking for a man. It only takes one. A lone intercessor with a “yes” in their heart is all He needs. I told the Lord I was willing to be the “man among them” that He was looking for. I would build the wall. I would pray!
Then, in my imagination, it became capitalized: “a Man among them.” I knew immediately what the Holy Spirit was doing. He was taking me out of the center of this passage and putting Jesus right in the middle of the story, where He belongs. I realized I had mistakenly put myself in this verse prematurely. We must avoid making the Bible all about us. All of Scripture does speak to us, of course[1]. But the Bible is first and foremost all about God’s activity.
The truth is that Jesus is the “Man among them” who stands in the gap and builds the wall. Romans 8:34 says:
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Ezekiel’s cry for an intercessor was and is fulfilled firstly in the intercession of Christ. Jesus is the great Intercessor. He is praying for us constantly, and He invites us to join Him in His intercession.
Jesus Intercedes For Us
When I consider Jesus as the One who intercedes between me and the Father, I tend to envision Him as being available to me when needed. If a problem arises, or I decide to pray, He is there to connect me to the Father. He’s the bridge whenever I need to cross over to heaven. I think about Him simply being there, ready and willing to help.
However, I believe there is more going on with Jesus’ intercession. He is not waiting for us. He has been interceding ever since He ascended to heaven after His resurrection. He was interceding before we were born and before we were saved. He intercedes when we sleep at night. Jesus is in the middle of a 2,000-year prayer meeting with the Father! Thank God, His intercession is not dependent on us. He is less like a bridge to drive across when needed and more like the vehicle that carries us to our destination. We’re just along for the ride.
Romans 8:34 says Jesus is “at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.” Jesus is praying for you right now! He is the Gap-filler. He is the One who stands between heaven and earth. He is the Way to the Father. He made a way through the cross, and He still makes a way through His ongoing intercession.
At Presence Pioneers, we tend to attract the “prayer people.” We’re the hungry ones. The revivalists. The radical worshipers. The pioneers. The zealous laborers. But we need to remember that it’s not all on us. Jesus is the One carrying the weight of His mission. This thing doesn’t hinge on you or me; it hinges on Him. He is the One standing in the gap. He is One building the wall. Do not forget that unless the Lord builds His house, we labor in vain[3].
Jesus Invites Us Into His Intercession
Am I saying that we don’t need to pray or labor? Of course not. The truth of Jesus’ intercession is not an invitation to disengage. Quite the opposite. It is a reminder that God desires our partnership with Him in prayer and labor. In His John 17 prayer, Jesus expresses this desire:
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.[4]
Jesus prays that we would be with Him where He is. Where is He? He is in the place of fellowship and communion within the Godhead. He is experiencing the love that the Father had for Him from before the foundation of the world. He is tasting and seeing the glory of the Holy Spirit. And He invites us to be in that same place of intimacy with God.
Healthy intercession is always birthed in intimacy with the Lord. This is why we have to recognize that all of our intercession flows from Jesus’ intercession. Our best prayers are simply an “amen!” to the prayers that Jesus is already praying. Jesus is the first “Man among them” who builds the wall and stands in the gap. Yes, we also “stand in the gap” with Christ, but our call is first to intimacy and then to intercession. It is in the place of intimacy with Him that He begins to put His desires in our hearts. We can then pray His word and His desires into any situation. Rather than carrying the weight of “the gap” on our own, we partner with Jesus to see His will be done and His kingdom come. When we put first things first, we find that our intercessory prayer becomes a delight rather than a duty.
Hebrews 7:25 says that“He always lives to make intercession for them.” Jesus is praying 24-7. He never stops. He never ceases. He is the only watchman who never comes off the wall[5]. He is the One who gives no sleep to His eyes or slumber to His eyelids[6]. He is the persistent One who cries out day and night for justice[7]. He is leading the heavenly throne room in perpetual worship and intercession[8]. And Jesus invites His bride to join in this day and night song.
While the enemy accuses the people of God incessantly[9], He is the One warring day and night on behalf of the saints. He is combating every lie of the enemy with the truth of His word. Though our prayers will wax and wane, Jesus will be faithful. Though we will grow tired, He is never weary. When we slip off the wall of intercession, we can always turn back to Jesus and join Him there again.
I believe the Spirit of God is again searching throughout the earth for a “man among them” who would build a wall and stand in the gap for God’s purposes. One who will bring forth revival, justice, peace, healing, and restoration. In Ezekiel’s day, God could not find an intercessor. But this time the story is different. There is now One standing on behalf of the land. There is One asking the Father for the nations[10]. There is One building the wall of day and night prayer to push back the darkness and establish the kingdom of God on the earth.
Israel has an Intercessor. Jesus is praying. Let’s join Him!
[2] 2 Tim 3:16
[3] Psalm 127:1
[4] John 17:24 [ESV]
[5] Isaiah 62:6-7
[6] Psalm 132:3-5
[7] Luke 18:7
[8] Hebrews 12:22-24
[9] Revelation 12:10
[10] Acts 2:8