Steve Lyston
“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” – Ezekiel 22: 30
Many people reading this Scripture may say that it is focused on the topic of intercession. However, this Scripture carries several meanings.
When a breach has taken place or where there is a hole in the wall, God is looking for a leader like David, Daniel or Jeremiah to rise up; one who will not be afraid to bow their knee to the Creator.
Sadly, we are in a time when there is a serious vacuum for good leadership, and we are seeing the results of this currently. Most leaders are simply copycats, following other leaders’ systems and philosophies and applying them in a cookie-cutter fashion; and this style of running a nation is currently outdated. Many of these leaders seem not to remember that their individual nation is sovereign. God created every nation and its people differently with different goals and purposes.
Imagine what would happen if we found a leader who will not compromise and instead direct the people back to God?
Can we find one who will seek God for a vision for the nation – where his priority is the people of the nation?
Can we find a leader who will seek God for a new heart?
The only way transformational leadership will take place is with a new heart – that person has to be a servant leader. Ezekiel 36: 26 reminds us, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
Sadly, some leaders are seeking for help from the spirit of their ancestors. However, God is looking for leaders who will allow the Holy Spirit to be their guide and teacher. God is looking for a leader who will bear the burden of the people – not increase the burden.
God is looking for leaders who will seek the Holy Spirit, not the ramblings of artificial intelligence; a leader who will check the hole to see what caused the danger so that restoration can take place.
The magnitude of disasters now taking place globally is not the result of global warming, but a lack of good leadership. It will only change when God finds and puts right leaders in position.
We should never forget what David did in times of famine in a nation that was going through many afflictions. 2 Samuel 21: 1 says, “Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
If leaders were still inquiring of the Lord, then there would not be so many crisis in the world today.
Stand in the Gap
We stand in the gap by:
- Putting the poor first
- Passing laws to lessen the burden of the poor
- Passing laws to save lives and promoting family values
- Showing mercy and compassion
- Fighting for the homeless and the voiceless
- Protecting the people and dealing with the children
- Serving to please God, not the elite
- Repairing the broken things
They will seek God for what is best for the people, not for what is best for them and their friends. They would also be obedient to God’s voice and His word. Furthermore, they:
- Will establish order within the nation and walk in humility.
- Must be the husband of one wife.
- Must know that their lifestyle is very important and that what they do in secret will affect the people.
- Must believe in the supernatural and have faith in God to birth the vision that He has given them.
- Must be willing to repent on behalf of the previous generation’s evil and tear down evil altars.
- Must remember that they too are servants who must know that they will be held accountable for their stewardship, so they must be teachable.
Having a job description without the Fruit of the Spirit does not even make sense. Likewise, the people must know that God’s way of selecting leaders is not a game. Man looks externally, but God is looking at the heart and He is looking for servant leaders that he can mold in His image. Many of the leaders today cannot be used today because they are arrogant and refuse to listen to Him. They are looking for people to serve them. However, a servant leader is one who serves the people.
They put the people first, not their own salaries.
