STANDING IN THE GAP
by Gene Easley
"...and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire." Nehemiah 1:2b-3
A small church sits almost unnoticed along the side of a city street or along a country road. It may be on a major thoroughfare or in a quiet suburban residential area. It really doesn't matter in our story. It has possibly twenty to thirty faithful members. They will be there each Sunday morning. They always know who will attend and usually who will not.
If a stranger drops in to this church, everyone is surprised. They don't know what to do with the stranger because so few come their way. They may actually hesitate to greet him for fear he may not be one of their kind. After all, there are so many untrustworthy people in the world that you must be on guard in extending yourself to a stranger.
This little church has seen no converts for so long that such memories no longer linger in the minds of its people. And the people really don't expect anything to happen in their church.
There is no weeping around the altars of prayer. No one cries out for the perishing. It's just the same small group meeting together week after week, month after month and year after year.
The Spirit of God isn't moving; the joy of salvation no longer pervades the atmosphere. That church will never see revival. Their case is hopeless unless God raises up an intercessor, someone to stand in the gap.
A large organized, professional church sits possibly in the same part of town. Those in charge here know how to make things work. The senior pastor understands the techniques to use to bring people to the sanctuary.
The pastor is able to organize programs and maneuver people so that the place is packed. But the spiritual atmosphere is only superficial. They display no more than a Sunday morning piety. Any excitement witnessed is the "our team" excitement. The true joy of the Lord can't be found. The Spirit is not moving. Hearts are not broken. No one is weeping around the altar of prayer. That church will never see revival. They have it all together without God. Their case is hopeless, too, unless God raises up an intercessor to stand in the gap.
The denominational church sits nearby. They take great pride in belonging to their elite group. They glory in what their organization is doing around the world. Their interest no longer is in the salvation of souls, but rather in the numerical growth of their movement. They rally around the denominational flag and shun those who don't belong. Their worship is directed toward their Mecca of operation and not toward the Lord.
It will fight for "our" church and outsiders are a lesser brand of Christian, if indeed Christians at all. But these people do not have the touch of God upon them. A spirit of repentance is not among them. They are not crying and weeping for the perishing. They will never see revival.
There is the church whose charisma is generated by the flesh and is not a product of a genuine outpouring from on high. It has its dancers and tambourines. Everyone knows how to gyrate with the music. They dare not give way to one dull moment. But it is all flesh. Hearts are not broken before God. Man is in charge, and the Spirit is pushed back. That church will never see a genuine outpouring. They will never know the spirit of true revival.
None of these churches will see revival until God raises up a burdened heart! Until God raises up a messenger! Until God raises up an intercessor! Until someone arises who has a burden for change. Revival will not come to any church until someone sees the problem, falls on his or her face before God, and cries out for the restoration of the fallen walls and the gates that sat in ashes.
Nehemiah was such a man. If he came to our church, it wouldn't be the program as usual today. When Nehemiah comes, the rubbish will have to go. No revival can come until the rubbish goes. You can't build a wall on rubbish. Nehemiah built the wall from the stones in the rubbish. But the rubbish could not be allowed to remain any longer. The rubbish had to go.
Some friends and relatives came to the residence of Nehemiah. Their conversation must have been about old times or maybe politics, common friends or whatever. But nobody seemed to be mentioning the thing that most burdened the heart of Nehemiah--Jerusalem. How is the church doing? We have talked about Uncle John's farm and Aunt Susie's garden, but how's the church doing? Are we just living among the rubbish?
Whether a church is small or large, whether it is a part of a known denomination or it belongs to an independent group, it will never see revival until God raises up someone whose heart is broken over the rubbish heaps.
Nehemiah could no longer forbear. He interrupted the conversation with the burden that was weighing down his heart. "Please tell me about the condition of Jerusalem." They could not hold back the sad news any longer. Yes, the walls were fallen down, the gates were burned.
Today's messenger would have to tell Nehemiah, "The Spirit no longer moves as He once did. No one longs, Nehemiah, for the altars of prayer. We have substituted eastern religion chanting for Spirit-filled praise. We are high-minded, and pride governs our hearts and lives. We are allowing our children to grow up without a true experience in God. We just entertain them and hope they will continue coming to the parties. But we are losing a generation for God, and we are not seeing revival."
Nehemiah fell upon his face before God when he heard the news. With broken heart, he implored the Lord for his beloved city. You can shout on empty if you want to, but my heart is broken when I see the condition of the church.
