“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
It has been said that, “There is no one so poor as he for whom there is no one praying.” Why? It is because true, believing prayer which is made by the Spirit, is God’s means and provision by which the blessings of heaven are communicated to men. Those blessings are both temporal and spiritual. For example, “daily bread,” or daily food, is a very real physical provision for the sustenance of man, something that is to be asked of God, for ultimately He is the Giver of it. But also, God’s spiritual provision is just as important, if not more so, as it pertains to that which is eternal. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He instructed them to pray the following: “…and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” (Matt. 6:13) Why did He instruct them to pray, and then to pray in this manner? True prayer, the very communication of the soul with God, is God’s provision whereby the believer can approach his Maker and Redeemer, then put before Him the needs and acceptable desires of the heart. The true, and deep, needs of man, both in body and soul can only be met by God in Christ, ministering to the heart. Prayer is the call, even the cry of the heart to God, for Him to work, move, and accomplish His blessed will in the life, providing all that is needful so that man can truly know, and walk with God. As physical bread is a specific response of God to meet a definite, essential need, so is the prayer to be kept from temptation, and the power of the Tempter, Satan. Only God can ultimately meet these needs, and meet them He will, if He can find someone who will pray.
In light of the importance of prayer, what does God mean in the book of Ezekiel, when He speaks of seeking a man that should “make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me?” God seeks a man, or woman, anyone who is willing to take a position between God Himself, and the needy sinner, or nation, in order to intercede in prayer and supplication, so that God will not judge, but spare the individual, or nation. The intercessor is a position taker, one who deliberately offers himself to God to pray for lost souls, and the impossible situation. With regard to Israel, God was seeking a person who would be the one to fill up the opening in the hedge between God and man, the one who would appeal to God not to break through and deal the blow to the sinner, or the rebellious nation. The intercessor’s concept of his role and position was clearly one where he knew that to be what he had to be, he would need to be clean, consecrated, and confirmed as God’s choice. Somewhat like the priests of old, who were designated by God to minister in the sanctuary, who also needed to be cleansed from sin, and consecrated to God, so the intercessor, realizing something of the importance of his calling and role, would embrace his responsibility in humility and reverence. His role would be that by which men would be saved or lost, and nations would be spared or not. God is a God of absolute righteousness, who will reward the sinner according to his sins. But he is also gracious and merciful, willing to forgive, turn away His wrath, when there is true repentance and faith. The prophet of old would give the people a knowledge of the will and purposes of God, revealing to them both the blessings of knowing God, but also, the curse of following some other god. The intercessor is that one who is set to appeal to the mercy and grace of God on behalf of the sinner.
Dear Father, Make us prayerful today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.