Ezekiel records God's searching words: "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). God seeks intercessors - those who will stand between heaven and earth, pleading for others.
Intercession is more than adding names to a prayer list. It's entering into the burden of God's heart for people and situations. It's wrestling in prayer like Jacob, who wouldn't let go until he received the blessing. It's persisting like the widow who kept petitioning the unjust judge.
Jesus is our ultimate intercessor. "He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25). Right now, Jesus is praying for you. And He invites us to join Him in this ministry.
Who needs you to stand in the gap for them? A family member who's wandered from faith? A friend facing illness? A leader under attack? A nation in turmoil? "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people" (1 Timothy 2:1).
Intercession requires commitment. It means returning to the same prayer day after day, month after month, without seeing immediate results. It means believing God hears even when nothing seems to change. It means joining God's work through the mysterious power of prayer.
Will you be an intercessor? Will you stand in the gap? There are people whose breakthrough depends on someone praying. Will that someone be you?
