I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land… (Ezekiel 22:30a).

Are any of us under the illusion that the world is on track to achieve tranquility and human flourishing all by itself? In fact, was there ever a time in history it could have been said—taking all factors into consideration—that the world, or any of its nations, was managing to be great in any comprehensive way?

How about God’s people? Is the universal church representing God accurately to the world God so loved? Are we humbling ourselves, or feeling superior to “outsiders”? Are we scrambling for power and influence, or seeking to follow the way of Jesus, the way of the Cross? Have we positioned ourselves in a hierarchy—the universal way of mankind—counter to the level-playing-field way of Christ?

So, what does God do about this? He says No. Like a human father who loves his child enough to say No when that child runs into the street, Father God says No to serve the same greater Yes—Yes to long-term flourishing that will take root in us and spread through us to others.

In pre-exile times God’s people were running amok. 

Ezekiel, His prophet, described princes who seized treasures and made widows (an interesting way to say murder); priests who profaned God; officials who killed for unjust gain; prophets who whitewashed those deeds with false visions and prophecies not of God; and people who extorted, robbed, and oppressed the poor and needy and mistreated and denied justice to foreigners. 

God’s No to all that was to let Jerusalem be attacked by the Babylonian army. This left the residents in a city without the protection of its high surrounding wall—a vital part of any city of that day. 

Remaining ruined segments of that wall would have been separated by gaps. To prevent enemies from entering at those gaps, residents would need to stand guard in them, especially though the night. Those standers-in-the-gap would not only have been protecting the others, they would also have had plenty of time to reflect on and repent of what led to their dilemma. And, especially, to pray.

We know that people now are not all that different from people then. We still insist on life on our own terms. God still insists on loving us by saying No. We still end up in broken down vulnerable places with gaps that require someone to stand in them on our behalf. Or for us to stand in on behalf of others

Standers-in-the-gap are different from criticizers-in-the-gap, comply-ers-in-the gap, or despair-ers-in-the-gap. Which of those might you need to overcome to stand on behalf of others?  

What gaps do you see that you could stand in on behalf of others? What could that standing look like?

If you are the one who needs a stander-in-the-gap for yourself, whom could you ask to do that?