{"id":5326,"date":"2014-08-14T03:14:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-14T03:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/?p=5326"},"modified":"2014-08-25T15:18:02","modified_gmt":"2014-08-25T15:18:02","slug":"gaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/?p=5326","title":{"rendered":"Gaps"},"content":{"rendered":"

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap<\/strong> before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.<\/em> Ezekiel 22:30, KJV; emphasis added<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at gaps: What are they, what is your responsibility concerning them, and how do you interact with them?<\/p>\n

Gaps\u2014what are they?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A gap is a\u00a0gaping hole\u00a0in a hedge\u2014an unprotected opening through which bad things can gain access to a person, a relationship, a family, a church, a community, a people group, or a nation. The original gap was sin\u2014Adam and Eve blasted a gap in the protective \u201cbubble\u201d surrounding the human race\u00a0by disobeying God. Ever since then, sin has been the common denominator for all <\/em>gaps, both large and small. And the common denominator for closing<\/em> the gap blown opened by Adam and Eve\u2014and every subsequent gap\u2014is Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Gaps exist wherever there are people. They happen because the devil wants access to lives\u2014saved and unsaved alike. Conflicts between husbands and wives, if not dealt with appropriately, create gaps. Hurts, misunderstandings, miscommunication, and the like can tear open gaps between friends, neighbors, and colleagues. I call these \u201cmicro-gaps\u201d due to the limited number of people involved. How do you approach these micro-gaps? Simply, you pray and then you obey; you stand your ground in love before God and you walk by faith\u2014not by feelings or by sight.<\/p>\n

Macro-gaps also exist, affecting hundreds, thousands, millions, or billions of souls. Very likely each one of these gaps\u00a0began as micro-gaps\u2014unresolved conflicts between two parties which eventually became infected by unforgiveness, bitterness, and unrepentant, hardened hearts. \u201cSee to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled<\/strong><\/em>, [turning micro-gaps into macro-gaps]\u201d (Hebrews 12:15, emphasis and brackets added).<\/p>\n

Here are some of the glaring macro-gaps in today’s world: Israeli-Palestinian conflict; ISIS in Iraq; terrorism; racial conflict; culture war; political polarities; etc. How do these issues qualify as gaps? They are\u00a0openings through which the devil has gained entrance to create turmoil, confusion, terror, destruction, and the like. They are opportunities for Satan to create a smokescreen, obscuring the gospel. They are openings through which ungodly men and women gain access to positions of influence so as to steer entire cultures away from both godly values and the Lord Himself. Have you noticed any gaps in your <\/em>world lately?<\/p>\n

Gaps\u2014what is your<\/em> responsibility concerning them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because of the immense number of gaps on every hand, recognize that you won\u2019t be able to cover everything you see. But as certain issues pop up on your \u201cradar\u201d\u2014especially repeatedly\u2014you can be certain that those are gaps in which you are to stand in prayer. Trust God to direct you to those specific people and issues about which to pray. Then believe\u00a0that He will\u00a0lead you as you pray.<\/p>\n

Due to the\u00a0avalanche of issues out there,\u00a0I frequently ask God to orchestrate\u00a0the\u00a0prayers of believers all over the nation and around the world,\u00a0divvying\u00a0up\u00a0all the various situations, people, and\u00a0crises, depositing them\u00a0separately into\u00a0all the different\u00a0hearts so that\u00a0every<\/em> gap gets plugged and\u00a0every <\/em>broken\u00a0hedge gets addressed.\u00a0A great company\u00a0of\u00a0men, women, boys, and girls are\u00a0called by the name of Christ; if each one of us prays our part, then much will be accomplished.<\/p>\n

You may ask,\u00a0How<\/em> much time<\/strong>\u00a0do I need to pray about an issue or a person? <\/em>You pray about it until it lifts\u00a0off of\u00a0you or until it resolves. This doesn’t mean, though, that you do nothing else but pray; you set aside time to pray specifically and<\/em> you pray as you go about your business. This is one reason I like to pray in the Spirit quietly as I move through my day\u2014I\u00a0keep my spirit open to input from God,\u00a0making myself\u00a0available\u00a0to pray\u00a0when He\u00a0brings something up.<\/p>\n

And although\u00a0you’re responsible to pray and stand in the gaps He assigns to you, you need to stay balanced. If you get “heavied out”, back off for a while. Fellowship. Sing. Laugh. Have fun. Eat a good meal. Get some sleep. If you wipe yourself out as an intercessor, you diminish your effectiveness. You aren’t<\/em> God;\u00a0He<\/em> is, and He’s the only<\/em> One who neither slumbers nor sleeps. You<\/em> will need to give it a break from time to time\u2014and then, just like a soldier who has been on leave\u2014after you have\u00a0rested, you return once again to the front lines.<\/p>\n

Gaps\u2014how do you interact with them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once you become aware of a gap, simply ask God how He wants you to pray. If you can, pray in tongues as you think about it. The Holy Spirit will direct you. It may lift off of you quickly; that’s OK.\u00a0A lot of the time, you will be a “stop-gap” gap-stander. In other words, you may\u00a0be led to pray\u00a0about something in passing. Sometimes that’s all the Lord leads you to do;\u00a0perhaps you’re\u00a0plugging the gap\u00a0while some other intercessor\u00a0takes\u00a0a break.\u00a0God has all the angles covered;\u00a0your part and mine\u00a0is\u00a0to be ready and willing to participate however He leads.<\/p>\n

In the case of the Ferguson, Missouri,\u00a0situation, I know<\/em> that I’m supposed\u00a0to stand for the dissipation of chaos and the resolution of conflict. It’s my<\/em> region that’s under attack; I must stand for my people\u2014both black and white.\u00a0I could shrug it off, denying any responsibility to pray\u00a0by\u00a0saying that God is sovereign and His way will\u00a0prevail, but to do so ignores the fact that He\u00a0searches for\u00a0folks to stand in the gap.<\/p>\n

So how do you stand in the gap? You pray, both in the Spirit and with the understanding. You pray the Word over the situation. You make time to pray; you pray quietly as you go about your day.\u00a0When God brings light, you pray what you see; when He speaks to your heart, you pray what you hear. If you get no direction, you trust God and pray for His intervention. If your faith is wavering, you build it by feeding on the Word and praying in the Holy Spirit. And you stand, refusing to believe that the situation is hopeless. And you stand, resisting the temptation to throw in the towel. And you stand;\u00a0having done\u00a0everything to stand, you stand.<\/p>\n

Know that your Father\u00a0girds you up as you stand. “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness<\/em>” (2 Corinthians 9:10). Although this verse speaks of financial seed, know that as you pray for\u00a0crisis situations\u00a0by the leading of the Holy Spirit (often far harder on the flesh than giving money), you are sowing precious seeds of life and deliverance. And He\u2014who has\u00a0given\u00a0you that seed\u00a0to sow directly in the gap of the hedge\u2014will<\/em> supply\u00a0and multiply\u00a0your seed for sowing and<\/em> He will increase the harvest of your righteousness\u2014a tall, robust hedge!<\/p>\n

That’s<\/em> how you stand in the gap.<\/p>\n

Dorothy<\/p>\n

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.<\/em> Ephesians 6:13<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Ezekiel 22:30, KJV; emphasis added Let\u2019s take a closer look at gaps: What are they, what is your responsibility concerning them, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ferguson","category-prayerperspective"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5326"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5387,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5326\/revisions\/5387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}