"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found none." Ezekiel 22:30).

Israel fell into sin when they worshipped the golden calf. It would not be the first time God's people would fall into idol worship. They had forgotten the great things God had done for them. This angered God so much that He was going to destroy the whole nation. Only one thing changed God's mind in the matter. Moses. Psalm 106:23 says that "had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them..." Moses was a man willing to stand in the gap, sacrificially for those who were not deserving of such sacrifice. This sacrificial love by Moses is called for among His people today.

The prophet Ezekiel describes another situation in which the people of God fell to sin. God was ready to destroy the nation. God speaks to Ezekiel asking him if there is a man willing to stand in the gap so that God does not have to destroy the nation.

Judah was a man who stood in the gap on behalf of his younger brother, Benjamin. Joseph held all the brothers captive in Egypt but allowed them freedom only if someone would stay as insurance for bringing the younger brother back to Joseph. Judah had a long history of a me-focused life, but here he comes forward to stand in the gap for his younger brother because of his love for his earthly father, Jacob. His sacrifice was rewarded.

Just as Christ did we are to be the one who will stand in the gap on behalf of those who are not aware of their own vulnerable condition. It is a proactive sacrificial position. Who is God calling you to stand in the gap for? Perhaps it is a mate, perhaps it is a business associate who has not come to know the savior, perhaps it is a wayward child. Are you willing to become the sacrificial offering to God to thwart His plans of judgment because of your willingness to stand in their place? This is a hard teaching. This is what Jesus did for each of us. When we stand in the place of another God moves because of our willingness to stand on their behalf. If we don't, His plans will go forward because He is a righteous and Holy God that must honor His own word even if it means destruction. Are you willing to stand in the breach of the wall today for someone? Perhaps you are the only person close enough to an individual who will stand on their behalf.