Gap-standing
In mid-August of 2014, I wrote a series of blog entries focused on praying for Ferguson, Missouri, and seeking God to turn the tide of chaos hitting this region. I believe that now is the time to revisit that series.
My goal is that you will be inspired and encouraged to “pray your part” and that you will recognize that your prayers will indeed make a difference—even in our current situation.
[Originally posted on August 13, 2014.]
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30, KJV
The recent turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri, has hit national and international news. And while pundits, leaders, personalities, and citizens give their opinions to awaiting microphones and cameras, another stream of focus has hit Heaven—men and women are taking their stand in the gap.
The last clause of Ezekiel 22:30 is terribly sad. “I found no one,” lamented the living God concerning His search for an intercessor. However, the seriousness of our times compounded by the critical events in St. Louis—the heart of America—have brought many sincere men and women to their knees, crying out to the God of all things to intervene with His mighty power and unquenchable love.
“And I sought for a man among them…”
God searches for people. One type of person for whom He looks is someone who will stand in the gap, praying and interceding for others.
“… a man among them, that should make up the hedge…”
God looks for a man (or a woman) who will make up the hedge. What is the hedge? According to Strong’s Concordance, this is the Hebrew word “gader” and simply means a fence or a wall. Enemies are deterred by hedges, walls, and fences surrounding those they seek to harm.
What is it that God wants the man or woman to do with the hedge? He wants them to “make up” the hedge. “Gadar” is the Hebrew word for “making up” and means “to wall up, wall off, close off, build a wall [or] to shut off”.
Consider societal unrest. Somehow, violence and lawlessness exalts itself over a population, victimizing a community or region with anger, fear, and chaos. The restraining effects of discipline, decorum, and lawfulness have somehow fallen apart, and God wants the hedge of protection rebuilt and repaired because of His great protective love for the people. This is accomplished by walling up, walling off, closing off, and shutting off the community in question from the ravages of the destroyer—sometimes literally (as in the boarding up of broken windows in looted businesses). But this “hedge making-up” enterprise is also—and always—to be enacted in the realm of the Spirit as intercession is offered by someone on behalf of those lacking full hedge-coverage. Effective gap-standing prayer takes place right where the hedge has been trampled down.
“…and stand in the gap before me for the land…”
God has been talking about a hedge in need of repair. This hedge has a gap. “Perets” is the Hebrew word which is used, and it means a breach or a bursting forth—similar to when a dam breaks and water spills out. In other words, a gap in a hedge is a great big hole. And you know what holes allow: They allow that which is good on the inside to leak out and get lost, and they open the door to let the wickedness outside come flooding in.
What does the Lord instruct His man or woman to do about the gap? Does He lead them to wring their hands and worry? Does He tell them to condemn the hedge?
No. Once the intercessor is made aware of the gap, he is to stand in it. As the trampled hedge is repaired, the intercessor is to remain in the gap, plugging it up until it is rebuilt. This word “stand” is “`amad” which indicates to take a stand, to remain and endure, and to hold your ground. As you stand in the gap, you are blocking the devil from gaining continued entrance into a volatile or destructive situation. You are restraining him and his lawlessness as you stand in the hedge’s gap.
God is seeking today for a man or woman among us to make up the hedge and to stand in the gap, and I believe that He is finding an army of us in this hour. In fact, I believe that every living member of the Body of Christ has gap-standing assignments every day on behalf of lost and hurting humanity. And despite the critical nature of those gaps to which you are led, the God before whom you stand is quite capable of shaping your prayers and granting you effectiveness as you stand in the gap in the hedge.
You are called to be a gap-stander in this hour. You are a repairer of the hedge. May God grant you effectiveness as you stand before Him.
Dorothy
“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.” Isaiah 58:12
© 2014, Dorothy Frick; revised 2020
**[All Hebrew definitions are from www.BlueLetterBible.Org]
Read MoreEncountering trials
I cracked open my Bible today to James 1. This section jumped right out at me:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
Consider it all JOY?? If you are anything like the various people I’ve been keeping up with, your life is getting hit from all sides with varying levels of agitation, piles of distraction, a suffocating sense of cabin fever, perhaps overwhelming grief or loneliness, concerns about finances and health, and the creeping helplessness of uncertainty. I could list all of the things hitting me, but your list is probably longer and more intense! HELP!
But when I gazed on that phrase, consider it all joy, it brought a smile to my face and a sense of relief to the pit of my stomach. Oh, yeah!! I remembered. God is capable of helping me through all of this!
Yup. The trials are here. We are all encountering them, big and small, piled up and weighing us down with all the typical symptoms of stress and anxiety. That means every one of us qualifies for this James 1 exhortation, and the good news is this: We will emerge on the other side of every one of these trials!
You and I may not see instant results, though. That’s OK, because the main ingredient in making it successfully through any trial that hits you (next to leaning hard on Jesus) is ENDURANCE. Perseverance. Not giving up. Knowing that this trial—and all of these trials—will be behind you at some point.
You have made it through past trials. God steadied you, covered you, assisted you…He was there with you back then; He is with you now. He is faithful. That is what you nail your endurance to—His faithfulness to you. Bind yourself to that Rock with the good sturdy rope of Truth and refuse to untie it. He will see you through every one of these tests, both great and small. He loves you.
As you hunker down in tight proximity with Him, endurance will be working on your behalf by the hand of God. Oh, so subtly, but oh, so thoroughly, endurance will have its perfect work. You will make it through Trial 1. You will make it through Trial 2. You will make it through Trial 3….and all the rest of those attacks against your peace, your health, your finances, your sanity, your loved ones, and maybe even your very life.
Most of all, though, you will have walked through this season—perhaps while feeling like a total loser—choosing to fix not only your gaze but your entire being as well on the Capable One who loves you and is willing to hold you close. As you do, my friend, you will find at the end of this onslaught of piled up trials, that you will be perfect (as opposed to destroyed) and complete, lacking nothing.
May God, the Capable One, help all of us.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
Read MoreThe winds are blowing
Today I passed by two different bird’s nests, violently spilled upon the ground. Nearby the second lay a blue egg, never to burst forth with feathered life. Instantly I realized that yesterday’s high winds had casualties: They swept away both home and offspring for more than one bird.
My mind shifted to a biblical application: During “interesting” times this one thing is of utmost importance—upon what have you been building your “home”?
Are you basing your decisions and hopes on shifting sand (or vulnerable, branching outliers of popular thought)? Or are you building your life on the solid, wind-resistant bedrock of the One who created the wind, ground, rocks, and branches?
His Word is a sanctuary in times of peace; during the storm. His Word is a living refuge of protection.
Be cautious as you build. The winds are blowing.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
Read MoreThe Parable of the Little Black Cat
Most of the world has been sheltering in place for a month or so now. While in isolation, I am becoming increasingly aware of how easy it is to let life’s distractions, the media, and an urge to just numb out swallow my attention away from my first love, the Lord.
Recently, He illustrated to me how that makes Him feel. I’ve read in the Bible several times that He is a jealous God. He longs for a reciprocal intimate relationship with people; yet throughout history, humans have tended to prioritize anything but Him. And here I am, in isolation, glad that His consistent love for me will never change, but at the same time, I’ve been rather oblivious about how those lulls in my attention may affect Him.
I hope this parable helps you to see how God simply wants your friendship and love…and for you to be as attentive to Him as He is to you.
Enter Remington Emerald, aka, Remmy, a little black cat I adopted two months ago on Valentines Day. It is through a recent experience with him that I present to you
The Parable of the Little Black Cat
One day not too long ago, a little black cat was adopted by a human. This cat, who once lived in a cage in a large room filled with cages, was so thankful that he now had his own home and his own human. He had freedom now to explore and play and eat and sleep—and to love and be loved by his human.
He frequently found his human throughout the day to meow a greeting, purr at her feet, or jump into her lap to be snuggled and loved.
He also liked to look out the back door at squirrels and birds. His human thought, “This cat would like to have a platform to sit on as he looks out the window.” So she set a stool by the door.
Soon, she decided to surprise him with a special box—a fluffy platform with a toasty cubbyhole beneath—so he could be cozy and warm while looking outside.
The day arrived when the special box showed up at the little black cat’s home. He had become very familiar with his surroundings and his human by this time, so when the human set the wonderfully cushiony box by the door, he knew instantly that it was his.
Quick as a wink he dashed into the cubbyhole inside the box and curled up for a snooze. His human went about her day, and from time to time peeked into the box to check on the little cat. Yes, he was still there.
Time went by; the human saw less and less of the little black cat. She attempted to interest him in looking outside at squirrels and birds; he glimpsed disinterestedly for a second or two and then turned to slip back into the box.
The human noticed that the cat was purring less; he was less interested in sitting at her feet or jumping into her lap. The box had become the cat’s entire world.
The human moved the box to a different spot in the house. The cat simply followed and scrambled back into his fluffy cubbyhole.
When the human realized that the little cat hadn’t purred when she petted him in several days, she became concerned. “What is wrong, little cat?”
He only lifted disinterested eyes and curled up deeper in the back of the box.
The human began to feel a strange emotion: Jealousy. “The little cat loves a box more than me!” she thought. “This must not continue! I adopted this little cat for friendship. I adopted this cat to love! I must do something.”
When the cat was busy with his dinner, the human took the box and hid it in a closed room. The cat noticed and ran to the closed room, pawing and scratching at the door. He moped and stared at the door the rest of the night. He was still nosing frantically under the closed door as the human turned out the light to go to sleep.
The next morning, the little cat meowed a greeting, purred at the human’s feet, and soon jumped into her lap, purring contentedly.
What do you know? The cat started looking out the window again at the squirrels and birds, he played heartily with his toys, and once again, he was thankful to have his own home…and his own human.
May we, too, recognize those things in our lives that we love more than God, and simply let them go.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
Read MorePillar #6: Mouth and speech
When I was seeking God concerning my vision back in the end of 2019, He presented me with six principles, or Pillars, to hold prominently in my heart as I pursued Him throughout 2020. Each Pillar has been stabilizing to me, and together they have brought greater insight as I’ve navigated the first two months of this new decade.
Pillar #5 concerns mind and thoughts. As Isaiah 26:3 states, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” The more we guard our minds and steady our thoughts with God’s Word, the greater our peace will be.
Pillar #6 is similar in nature, and concerns our mouths and our speech. Your mouth—or as the apostle James says, your tongue—is like a rudder of a ship and can influence the course of your life. And if you’re like me, someone who enjoys talking, you’ve probably found that your unguarded mouth can get you into some fairly uncomfortable—and avoidable
—predicaments.
On the other hand, like Proverbs 21:23 declares, “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.”
Much has been taught, mistaught, applied, and misapplied concerning words and speech—i.e., our “confession”—in the last forty or fifty years in the American church. As a result, great schisms have developed between believers, causing mistrust and suspicion, judgment and criticism. It’s not my goal to solve such long-standing divisions; but I do want to bring attention to a precious biblical concept, Pillar #6, which I find is helping to restore my vision.
Pillar #6: Mouth and speech
Men shall speak of the power of
Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
They shall eagerly utter the
memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. Psalm 145:6-7
I’ll bet that no one on any part of the “confession” spectrum in the church today could argue with King David about what he wrote concerning the appropriate use of words. In fact, this last Pillar seems to cap off everything God is directing me to focus upon in this new year.
They will speak of the power of Your awesome acts…
I am choosing this year to talk about God’s awesome acts. In prayer, I will remind Him of them. I will also mention them to others. In fact, if I begin to doubt or worry that I won’t make it in any upcoming situation, I’ll rehearse His powerful deeds to myself.
What are His awesome acts? The Bible is loaded with examples; and I know that I have personally experienced some nearly unbelievable, jaw-dropping answers to prayer and deliverances from danger. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have as well. All that King David is saying here is this: Don’t stuff what you know about God in the vault of your soul.
…And I will tell of Your greatness.
Once again, you’re called upon to speak up! Tell God, tell others, and tell yourself about His greatness. What comprises that greatness of God? Truth is, anything you know about His character is part of His greatness. His kindness, His justice, His power, His willingness to listen, His vastness, His creative ability, the fact that He came to earth in the person of Jesus to take on our sin debt and make us His own…all of this and so much more make up the amazing greatness of God. It’s my desire to daily tell someone something concerning His greatness. He deserves it.
They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness…
There’s no shyness or hesitation here. Think about it. How has God shown His goodness to you? You have the right—and indeed, the privilege—to share it. I mean, we see ads daily that eagerly declare the “magnificence” of skin lotions, hemorrhoid creams, breakfast cereals, weight-loss programs, and even ED products! Why should we, then, hem and haw, fighting with our nerves, when we recount something wonderful God has done in our lives?
… And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
When your favorite team scores a goal, makes a touchdown, or clears the bases with a grand slam, what do you do? Quietly patty cake with your hands and try to keep it down so you don’t offend someone? I rather doubt it!
By the same token, what do you do when God comes through for you in a big way? He answers a prayer; He heals you of a serious disease; He miraculously rescues you from a deadly accident or a violently crazed individual. As much as I love cheering on my home team for athletic feats and victories, how much more thunderous attention should I pour out upon my God for His righteous deeds on my behalf?
I believe it’s time—wherever you fall as a believer on the “confession” spectrum—to give your mouth to fearlessly speak of the power of His awesome acts, to tell of His greatness, to eagerly utter the memory of His abundant goodness, and to shout joyfully of His righteousness.
The Lord deserves to be honored with our words; the world around us deserves to hear how great He really is.
Lord, keep us mindful of this proper use of our mouths, and forgive those of us who have neglected this vital aspect of knowing You.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
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