In the Gap

Many times in the Christian community, when we pray for someone who is not present in the church service, we stand in the gap in prayer for that person.  In proxy.  But what about the people who do not have anyone to pray for them, to stand in the gap for them?  There are many people around the world who need prayer.  They may be Christians who are being killed, or non-Christians who do not know who Jesus is.  They may not even care who he is. 

Every day, people leave for work, their children leave for school, and they did not even thank God for waking them that morning, never mind asking Him to go with them throughout the day.  Many people feel like they are living life under their own steam and do not need any help from above.  It could be too, that they did not do it because they did not know to do it.  Besides, you would have to believe God can really help you to ask right?

And that’s OK, because when they get a revelation that there is a God and that they could rely on him in the good times and the bad, they will talk to him more.  They will pray.  They will rely on God to protect their children from the craziness they face at school every day.  They will rely on him to protect them during their commute, at work, and even in their relationships.  They will get a revelation that it is God who made us, who protects us, who wakes us in the morning and takes us through the day. They will realize that prayer before leaving the house is just as important as a good breakfast!

With everything that is going on in our world, what would be wrong with prayer? 

Well, in the meantime, maybe those of us who are Christians should stand in the gap.  Maybe in addition to praying for our family members we can pray for people around the world.  Maybe we can pray for Christians around the world who are going through things we cannot even imagine.  Maybe we should take a world view of our Christian beliefs, and really pray against all of the unbelievable things that are happening.  I believe we can really stand in the gap for the world. 

Many of us are taught to pray what we call ‘specific prayers’, rather than the typical general or generic prayer.  What should we pray for specifically? We can pray for Christian families who have been uprooted because of their beliefs.  We can pray against the kidnappings of children and women who are being used as sex-slaves.  We can pray against world-wide terrorism.  There is actually quite a bit we can and should be praying about.  As Christians, we cannot afford to pray the simple generic prayers anymore.  Life is no longer that simple.  We must pray for each other around the world.  We cannot afford to pretend that all is well because all is well with us.  We are our brother’s keeper.        

Are you serious?

Sometimes I think about the state of Christianity in the West.  Actually, I think about it a lot.  I may step on some toes, but I want us to take a personal accounting.  I get upset when Christians refuse to grow.  We actually feel we are OK. 

Recently I was listening to a show where a former terrorist who became a Christian, was talking about his faith in Christ.  He had become a Christian!  His face was concealed because he could be killed if he were recognized.  Do you understand the risk? They concealed his face because he could be killed! 

In the meantime, we continue to sit in our comfortable pews Sunday after Sunday, and we do not change.  We continue to keep ugliness, resentment, even hate, in our hearts.  We gossip, we start rumors, and we jostle for church position. All of this as we listen to the pastor tell us how a relationship with Christ is so important.  Seemingly not connecting the dots. 

There are Christian missionaries around the world, in very dangerous places, with their lives on the line daily.  Some of them are in jails around the world.  But we’re ok with straddling the fence, fitting in, jumping on bandwagons we have no business being on; only calling on God when we find ourselves in an emergency situation. 

How does God feel about this?  We will have to make a decision.  Not just an in the moment, sitting in the church pew decision, although that’s a start.  But a decision where we ask God to forgive us.  A decision where we tell him we believe and trust in him, and that we want to grow in him.  We can continue trying to fool ourselves that we are OK, because we live in a Christian nation with the greatest military on earth.  But none of that means anything, if we the Christians, are not praying for our country.  It means nothing if we are not praying for our military.  It means nothing if we refuse to grow in relationship with Christ.  It means nothing if we pray only when we have to.  And it means nothing if we continually straddle the fence. 

There is no earthly relationship where we can straddle the fence, reach out to the other person only when we need something; or just to use that person.  How long would such a relationship last before the other person asked us for an accounting, or just ended the ‘relationship’? I have one question: Are you serious?