A Verse For When... Someone You Love is Far From God
I had one of those moments the other day when I read a verse, and then just stopped… Pretty sure my jaw dropped to the floor as I sat in awe of God’s Word. I’m reading through Ezekiel right now, and to be honest, it’s full of some pretty heavy, tough and depressing stuff. The verses I was reading this particular day certainly fit into this category. They were explaining the sins of Jerusalem and God’s sword of judgment—decisive and absolute. In Ezekiel 22, God is telling His prophet Ezekiel to confront the people about all of their sins. And the list is extensive! Ultimately, the root of the trouble is summed up in Ezekiel 22:12, where God says, “And you have forgotten me.”
God goes on to tell Ezekiel that Israel has become “dross” to Him. Like the impurities of silver are separated through a melting process, Jerusalem would become a furnace of sorts, and God would use whatever means necessary to melt away the impure people, which seemed to be pretty much all of them at that point. Their defenses had come down, their leaders were leading them astray, and everything seemed hopeless, although the people themselves didn’t appear to realize it. Then, after God spends more time listing the sins of the people, He says to Ezekiel:
“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” -Ezekiel 22:30
This verse stopped me in my tracks! I did some researching and inquiring of the Holy Spirit, and came to a few conclusions.
- SOMEONE: God uses people. He uses people like you and me! He was looking for a person—someone probably with character, wisdom and a relationship with God. A person of prayer who was seeking to glorify God. And although the Holy Spirit hadn’t come into believers’ hearts yet back in Ezekiel’s days, He has today! So today, God is likely looking for someone who relies on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide.
- THE GAP: Sin creates a gap between people and God. It creates unwanted space in our relationship with Him. It’s unavoidable!
- STAND BEFORE ME IN THE GAP: We can stand in the gap for people who are separated from God through prayer. We can also do this by teaching and encouraging them to repent from sin and change their ways. We are called to fight for people!
- I FOUND NO ONE: At this time, God couldn’t find anybody who was standing in the gap for Israel and its land. They were all busy doing their own things—worried about their own jobs, families, livelihoods and safety. No one was willing to lead the people and pray on their behalf.
Who needs you to stand in the gap for them? Who do you need to be praying and interceding for? What person in your life who is far from God needs you to be faithfully asking God to keep their hearts soft and to show them mercy and grace? We find examples of this kind of intercession throughout Scripture. Of course, Jesus was our perfect and ultimate intercessor.
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. -Romans 8:33-34
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. -Hebrews 7:25
I am indescribably thankful for Jesus, who intercedes on my behalf. What person in your life would be just that thankful for you to be interceding and standing in the gap for her? or him? Jesus isn’t the only one who can intercede for someone. People can, too! One of the most familiar Bible stories where this happened was when Abraham interceded for the city of Sodom in Genesis 18. God told Abraham that Sodom’s sin was so grievous that He needed to “go down” and see things for himself. Abraham, knowing his nephew Lot’s family lived in Sodom, asked God, “What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?” (Genesis 18:24). God said He wouldn’t, and Abraham kept decreasing the number until he got all the way down to 10. God said even for the sake of just 10 people, He would spare the city. Ultimately, the city (plus another one, Gomorrah) did end up being destroyed, but because of Abraham’s intercession, God spared Lot and his family.
So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived. -Genesis 19:29
Just like destruction was looming for Lot unbeknownst to him, devastation also loomed in Ezekiel’s day. Reading on from Ezekiel 22:30, the next verse says that because God couldn’t find anyone standing in the gap on behalf of the land and the people…
So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. -Ezekiel 22:31
This is a serious matter. Destruction is devastating and can be permanent. Eternal consequences hang in the balance, even today. Especially today! Everybody faces an eternity somewhere—either with God or without Him. If you feel like you’ve done all you can do for that person in your life who is simply not interested in hearing and accepting the life-saving news of Jesus, write Ezekiel 22:30 on an index card and tape it to your mirror. Remind yourself daily that you can stand in the gap for that person you love! God is looking for someone to stand in the gap on behalf of His people. Abraham stood in the gap for Lot and saved His life. Jesus stands in the gap for you and me and saves our lives! In our flesh, we don’t have the power to save anybody on our own. But we can partner with the Holy Spirit who works in people’s hearts. It’s never too late until it is! Who do you need to stand in the gap for?