God has been talking to me today about love. Of course I Corinthians 13 went right along with what God was saying to me. All day long the verses have spoken to my heart. Love is patient and kind. Not jealous or proud. Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable. Ouch. How many times have I said "I love you" to someone and then gotten mad at them within minutes? Boy. I sure got over that love fast didn't I......
Love doesn't remember when it's wronged. Anyone ever do anything to you? Someone that you really loved but they did something bad to you? What did you do? Did you decide to get revenge? Did you hurt them back? That's not love. Took me many years to learn that one. But the past is the past. We can either let it destroy our future or we can forgive and forget. When we ask God's forgiveness He forgives and forgets. I can't even count the number of times I've thrown something back in someone's face to hurt them back or to justify my actions. Thing is, anything other than my forgiving them is not love.
Love is not happy with evil but is happy with the truth. Jesus is love. Jesus is truth. Without Him we cannot truly love anyone. Jesus is never happy with us when we sin. But when we ask His forgiveness, when we seek Truth, Truth wraps His arms around us in love. The past is gone. We are free.
So if someone has done something really horrible to you....lied, cheated, stole, behaved in a prideful or selfish manner that hurt you terribly? What did you do? Did you hurt them back? How did that work for you? I'm guessing not good. Revenge or bitterness is not even close to God's plan. And while you may feel justified in your actions, that's not love. Did you ever really love them if you behaved that way?
Ephesians 6:12 tells us "For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers of this dark age." Wow. Tells me that that person who hurt us isn't really who hurt us but is a deceived person, a loved one, who is being used by the devil to do what he wants. So sad. Does that change things for you? I hope so! It certainly does for me.
And that leads me to another thing. Standing in the gap for someone. In Ezekiel 22 God is not real happy with His people Israel. Now before you stop reading because this is Old Testament stuff, we need to remember that all scripture was written long ago but is still for us today. They didn't have computers or smart phones or books for that matter. No cars or planes. They did have boats though. Of course those boats were man powered but they were boats. Just saying this to remind us that people were people then just like they are people now. So basically the Word still applies to us today.
Anyway, the priests were breaking God's law and had no respect for what was holy. They didn't teach the truth. Basically the religious leaders, because of their own choices, were not leading the people and the people had no respect for God. The government was corrupt. The prophets hid sins like whitewashing a wall. Just about anything imaginable, cheating, lying, murder, on and on and on, was being done by God's people. These were God's people! In verse 30-31 God said "I looked for someone who could build a wall, who could stand in the places where the walls have crumbled and defend the land when my anger is about to destroy it, but I could find no one. So I will turn my anger loose on them, and like a fire I will destroy them for what they have done".
Oh my. All God asked was that someone would stand in the gap. Someone who pray and intercede for those people. Someone who would pray for them because they weren't able to or didn't realize they needed to do it for themselves. He just wanted someone to care about them. Did God still love them? Of course He did. But they had broken pretty much every one of His laws. There were consequences for breaking those laws. Did God want to judge and punish them? No. But they broke His commandments. He didn't have a choice. Unless.......unless someone would pray for them and ask God to be merciful to them.
This particular passage ends with God saying He would have to destroy them as their punishment or judgement for what they had done. So we are back to love. Is there anyone you love enough that you would stand in the gap for them? Do you have a child, spouse, parent, sibling or friend who is breaking God's laws and sinking deeper and deeper to the place that they are way to close to suffering God's judgement and you just don't know what to do?
Well here's the deal. If you love them, truly love them, instead of hurting them back, instead of spreading gossip about them or even sacrificing for them or 'preaching' to them, have you thought of standing in the gap? Not just anyone can stand in the gap though. God couldn't find anyone who could stand in the gap for His people way back then so He was going to have to rain down judgement on them. He didn't want to do that because He loved them. But they left Him no choice. They continued in sin and He had to keep His promise there just like He keeps His promises when we obey Him. They disobeyed so they had to be judged, punished. His people. Their children. Everyone. Because there was no one able to stand in the gap for them.
Want to stand in the gap for a loved on? The first thing to do is be worthy and capable of standing in the gap. God can't accept just anyone as a gap stander. In order to stand in the gap, you first must have your heart right with God. If you aren't right with God, you can't stand in the gap for the one who so desperately needs Him. Next, you gotta really love that person or people. I Corinthians 13 kind of love. Be patient and kind. Love them with a love that never gives up. A love that never fails to be faithful, full of hope and patience. A full and complete, eternal love.
All God asked for was someone who would stand in the gap so He wouldn't have to punish His children. Are you willing to be that person for someone? Are they important enough to you that you will become that stander? Then do it. Regardless of what anyone says. Regardless of whether others thinks your loved one deserves it or will ever change. Make sure you are right with God. Show how much you really love that person. Have compassion for that hurting soul who is being used by the enemy to do his bidding. Stand in the gap. And see what God will do!
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