A year and a half after God gave us the vision of the lake, I was attending a few days of prayer and fasting at “Pottemagerens hus” in “Sønderjylland”. While we were praying for Denmark and specifically praying, that God´s people would learn to fast again, God started speaking to me.
He reminded me of Ezek 22:30-31 where it reveals, that God was searching for someone to stand in the gap, but He could not find anyone. He asked me: “Peter, do you think this verse indicates, that I could not find a single Jew willing to pray for the country?” Without waiting for my answer He reminded me of the prophet Elijah in one of Israels darkest periods, where he thought that he was the only one left, who had not bowed his knee to Baal. But God answered him, that there was still 7000 “whose knees [had] not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths [had] not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18 NIV). Even in the darkest of times there has always been a remnant that stayed faithful to God and therefore continued to pray for the country. This was God´s own answer to the question He asked me.
There has not been a single period in Israels history without at least a remnant of believers, that continued to pray for the country. But the very thing, God was seeking after (and still is seeking after today), was much more than just people, who are willing to pray once in a while. He is searching for watchmen, that are willing to place themselves in the gap – and stay there. People, who are willing to give there lives to change the future of their nation. Intercessors like Moses who was willing to pray night and day for 40 days (Deu 9:16-19), until God himself declared that he would give the people another future, than what He had prophesied to Moses. Or like Samuel, who continued to stand in the gap – after the people had rejected God as their King, because they wanted a human king. (1 Sam 12:23 NIV) “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.” Or like Daniel, who must have been a very busy man, but he always found time to pray for God´s people, Israel. He even prayed three times a day, when there was a death sentence for doing this. He also humbled himself and asked for the forgiveness for his people, who had acted wickedly towards God (Dan 7) – and he continued to pray and fast for 21 days, until God´s answer was given through the angel, Gabriel.
God also reminded me of Moses and how he prayed for his people, when they were attacked by the Amalekites (Exo 17). V. 11-12 reads: “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up–one on one side, one on the other–so that his hands remained steady till sunset.“
Why didn´t Aaron and Hur just swap places with Moses, when he grew tired – if all that God needed was someone to lift his hands over the people? It would have been much more sensible – with human reasoning. It must have been very painful for an old man like Moses to hold his hands lifted for so long, and yet it was Moses and only Moses who was chosen to bless with such power. As long as he prayed with hands lifted (and probably holding a staff also), Israel prevailed. When he grew too tired to hold his hands up, the enemy prevailed. Why is this? Because Moses was a true watchman intercessor after God´s heart. When he stood in the gap, the enemies of God were defeated and God´s people were victorious.
In our modern times we are so focused on methods as the tool by which, God can save our land. But such methods have never been God´s way. His method is people. When he desires to rescue and save a nation, He will not do it through natural methods, but will instead use willing and fragile people, that He can raise up. People like Samuel the prophet or like King David or like John the Baptist or like Paul. Ordinary people like you and me, who are so passionate for God, that He can take hold of them and use them to change entire nations.
Through this prayertime and the things, that God spoke to my heart, I felt Him challenge me to volunteer myself. And I wanted to respond. So I declared loudly before God and all the people there, that I wanted to be a true watchman after God´s own heart. I had no clear understanding of what it would mean for my future, but I was completely sure, that this was what God wanted me to do, and as soon as I had said the words I started weeping. In my heart I declared: “Even if God can´t find anyone else, I will stand in the gap. I will be the one, that He is searching for.”
Since then a single thought has brought great joy and comfort to me. For I know that there is one person, who will ALWAYS stand in the gap (Isa 59,16 and Hebr 7,25). Jesus was God´s own answer to the great quest for someone to stand in the gap. So as christian intercessors we never stand alone in the gap. Our assignment is instead to stand with Jesus. He alone is our source of life and power. He is our access to all the blessings of heaven (Eph 1,3). He is always seeking for someone to keep watch together with him (Matt 26:38). Someone who will join him or herself to him in such a way, that he or she will both suffer together with Jesus and be glorified together with him (Rom 8:17).