“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 (NKJV)

“Here the Lord shows how, despite so many great sins abounding in Jerusalem, if he could have found some righteous persons there who had by fervent prayer sought to make up the hedge, as Moses who stood in the gap, that sin had made there, by earnestly opposing themselves against evil, seeking the reformation of the city, he would not have proceeded to bring the judgments threatened.” 

  - John Mayer (1583-1564), Commentary upon All the Prophets (Reformation Commentary on Scripture)

Men in the gap
Today in the US we celebrate Labor Day. We have many good reasons for doing so.

But do we in the worldwide Christian movement have good reasons to celebrate the most important labor of all? 

The old monks had the motto, orare est laborare – to pray is to labor. They understood that prayer is the foundation stone of Christian life, the birthing-labor of all Christian worship and ministry, and they devoted themselves to it. They knew God was looking for men who will labor in prayer, and they determined to stand in the gap accordingly.

God is still looking for men to stand before Him in the gap between our sinfulness and His righteous anger – men who will pray for revival, renewal, and reformation, and continue in prayer until God makes His people a source of joy and blessing in the world once again (Is. 62.7, 7).

Who are the men in your church laboring in prayer? Standing in the gap before the Lord?

What about you?Are you standing in the gap for revival? Are you training, leading, and insisting of the men in your church that they follow Paul’s instructions for laboring in prayer (1 Tim. 2.1-8)?

Who’s standing in the gap before the Lord in your church?

An opportunity for revival
Jesus said no disciple will rise above the level of his teacher. What we show people and what we teach them is what they will become.

If you’re not standing in the gap, none of the men in your church will, either. And if men don’t stand in the gap before the Lord, pleading for revival, God will not only not revive us, but He may bring His discipline against us for neglecting this most important work of the Church.

But what could happen if you and a few men of your church began taking up this calling, joining together to seek the Lord regularly for revival, renewal, and a great awakening in our time?

Time to step into the gap
I want to encourage you to consider – no, to embrace – three solid steps you can take to lead men in your church into the gap, praying for revival:

First, let me send you a free PDF of our booklet, Restore Us! This tells you why we need to be praying for revival, shows you how to get started, and provides free prayer guides, based on the Psalms, to lead your men in prayer.

Second, please watch this brief video explaining the Men’s Prayer Movement of The Fellowship of Ailbe, and download the accompanying brochure. Give a copy of the brochure to the men of your church. Many resources are available – including this video – at no charge, to help you lead the men of your church into the gap to seek the Lord for revival. These include our course, “Parameters of Prayer,” for which we are now taking registrations at The Ailbe Seminary. Take this course yourself, then lead your men through it.

Third, as your new ministry year kicks off, carve out a space to join pastors from around the country and elsewhere as we gather to seek the Lord for revival. Surely you have a 30-minute slot once a month, or once a week, that you could devote to this labor? I’ll be happy to send you a schedule of available meetings, or to help you set up a meeting more in line with your availability.

Write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and let me know what I can send you to help you stand in the gap for revival, and to lead and equip men in your church to do the same.

What if next Labor Day, hundreds and thousands of men had a new reason to celebrate that holiday – that, following your lead, they had taken up the most important labor of all, and were continuing in it for revival, renewal, and awakening?

Yeah. That would be something to celebrate.

T. M. Moore
Principal

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.