STANDING IN THE GAP

Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV) – “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.”

Acts 12:1 (NKJV) – “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.”

Acts 12:2-3a (NKJV) – “Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also.”

Acts 12:4 (NKJV) – “So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.”

Acts 12:5 (NKJV) – “Peter therefore was kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”

Intercessory Prayer – standing in the gap, praying for others in Jesus’ Name

What can we learn about intercessory prayer from the early church in Acts 12?

 

1. PRAY EXPECTANTLY

We want to pray with expectation.

Acts 12:5b (NKJV) – “Prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”

Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV) – “Now to Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.”

Isaiah 37:20 (NKJV) – “Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.”

Isaiah 37:33b (NKJV) – “He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a siege mound against it.”

Isaiah 37:34a (NKJV) – “By the way he came, by the same way he shall return.”

Isaiah 37:36 (NKJV) – “Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when the people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses – all dead.”

Isaiah 37:37 (NKJV) – “So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh.”

Matthew 7:7 (NKJV) – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Luke 1:37 (NKJV) – “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Mark 9:23b (NKJV) – “All things are possible to him who believes.”

 

2. PRAY EARNESTLY

Acts 12:5 (ESV) – “So Peter was kept in prison but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

Earnest; stretched out – hands stretched out to God in fervent supplication

Acts 12:5 (AMP) – “So Peter was kept in prison, but fervent and persistent prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

Luke 22:44 (NKJV) – “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.”

James 5:16b (NKJV) – “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

 

3. PRAY WITH AUTHORITY

Acts 12:5b – “Prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”

Church; ecclesia; called out ones

Luke 10:19 (NKJV) – “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Acts 12:7 (NKJV) – “Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, ‘Arise quickly!’ And his chains fell off his hands.”

Acts 12:10 (NKJV) – “When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.”

Peter was set free by the power of God through the prayers of God’s people.

The Holy Spirit is calling us to stand in the gap in prayer for our families, our communities, our city, our nation, and the nations of the world.

 

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you believe that your prayers can impact families, communities, and nations? Why or why not?

2. What are some of the things hindering you from spending more time in prayer?

3. Who are some of the people that the Holy Spirit is calling you to intercede for?

4. What are some of the prisons they are struggling against?

5. How much time is the Holy Spirit calling you to carve out of your day to spend in reading the Word and prayer?