Nine Courageous Bible Characters Who Stood in the Gap, Ezekiel 22:30, Noah, Esther, King David

In Ezekiel 22:30, God laments the lack of someone to stand “in the gap” for His people.

Now that passage of Scripture has inspired a book “In the Gap: What Happens When God’s People Stand Strong” by Wilfredo De Jesús. De Jesús writes that “a gap represents a place of weakness, vulnerability and danger” and could be a social problem such as illiteracy, racism or human trafficking, or something more personal, such as a prodigal child, an unfaithful spouse or an abusive family member. When he and his wife wanted to build a home, some of their friends advised them to live in the suburbs instead of inner-city Chicago. But he has stayed in the community where he grew up, despite being robbed and even receiving a death threat, because he wanted to be close to the church where he is pastor. That’s standing “in the gap” for the people he serves. De Jesús gives nine examples in his book of courageous people in the Scriptures -- men and women who recognized desperate needs and trusted God to use them to make a difference – and the special qualities that made each of them a “gap person:”