If anyone has ever lived or worked in London , the capital of the UK, they will be familiar with the shout and cry by the station master at the London Underground: ‘Mind the Gap’.
I received this word this week as I was ministering to my family members and talking about intercession and prayer. The Lord usually speaks to me in one word, then He downloads the rest later particularly if I’m attentive and holding things in tension. Illumination re the full depth of this word, subsequently followed and I thank God for his blessed Holy Spirit that we are spoken to, line upon line, here a little , there a little.
What I can now see is that the word is both instructive and a warning. Let us see what else the Lord may be saying. May He speak to your heart as you read.
The core of my ministry has been prayer and evangelism. The Holy Spirit himself appointed me as prayer secretary in 2006 at a point when I didn’t even know how to pray…. As prayer ministers and leaders, what we are clear about is that we are standing in the gap. We have been given the job of watching , seeing and standing betwixt heaven and earth as prophets, priest and kings, in our role as intercessors and of course praying. We, ‘mind the gap’ (if you like) as we wait for the return of our dear Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
What we know as evangelists, is that ‘there is a line that is drawn between rejecting our Lord’ . It is the line that separated us from God when we were alienated in our minds and before we saw and accepted Him as our personal Savior. It is this line, in this very song, which first moved me towards the saviour and when I was stuck, sinking deep in sin.
Stuck and separated are we without God in this world. It is the point of rebuke the Apostle Paul talked about in Ephesians 4:26 where we are at a point, a place where he said ‘ our understanding is darkened’; being separated, nay, alienated, from the life of God, through ignorance, because of our rebellion and the resulting blindness and hardening of our hearts, which inevitably happens.
There is a line that separates. But God placed Jesus … to meet us there.
Between the two end points which form the line, is the gap; the gap which either propels us to eternal damnation or trajects us towards eternal life. Many, (the Bible says), stumble about as blind men, groping for the wall as if they had no eyes. Whether it be morning, noon or night, the darkness for them, is the same. They can’t see the difference. Because it is a spiritual issue, they think they are alive, but they are in fact dead. They think they have peace and safety, but little do they know, sudden destruction is looming ahead. But we have his word, that if we seek, we will find and find rest for our souls.
May many begin to see, today and reach safety.
It is Jesus who first stood in the middle, stood in the gap, interceding for us and before the garden. We (as ministers) continue in the role watching out for those who are in peril, seeking to save some, to reconcile some back to the Father. This we do (and will continue to do) because we are our brother’s keeper. We will continue to be accountable for each other, till Jesus comes.
“When I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die and tho gives him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity (sins), but his blood will I require at thine hand” Ezekiel 3:19
Let’s bring it home ….
When the station master shouts ‘mind the gap’, It is a serious and salutary reminder that there is imminent danger for those treading the boards and on the platform…. I believe the Holy Spirit is warning those of us with key areas of responsibility to ensure we are doing the job he has given us to do. You know who you are.
Let us pray
Prayer
Father, we thank you . The entrance at your word gives light. Thank you that you first stood in (and put yourself in the place of us) to protect us from peril and storm. You are our intercessor. You have pleaded to the Father for us and many of us have come through.
Lord, today we pray for all those who would be heirs of salvation – we pray that the light of your glorious gospel touches them in any dark tunnel in which they may languish.
Lord, may men and women hear you and feel the sound and roar of impending danger. May they mind the gap and be watchful and vigilant unto prayer.
Lord take away the scales from our eyes and the hard skin that can often form on our hearts. It is the hard skin of conforming to this world, procrastination and the denial of Truth.
Pierce through.
Let your blood flow.
Help us to feel, see and do as you do in this hour. May we continue to be willing to work with you and for you, in our personal , familial, societal national and global situations.
May we not only stand in the gap, but reach out to seek and save those who are lost.
My Father and my God, help us to be sure footed. Each step we take, please guide, please lead. Keep the door of mercy open. Help us to reach the destination and fulfill the assignment that you have given us. Help us to help others find you .
These and other mercies we ask in your precious holy name.
Evangelist Linda J UK
21/10/21