A NEW CONFIDENCE

Ezekiel 21:1-22:31; Hebrews 10:1-17; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 27:12

“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

“And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says, ’This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ Then he says, ‘I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.’”

“My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart! Wake up, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.”

“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

There is simply no greater blessing than being one of the Lord’s “gap fillers,” and no greater calling than to be given the opportunity to do so. Still, most of us are inappropriately reluctant to stand strong and tall for Jehovah and righteousness because we are afraid to do so. We fear being ignored. We fear being labeled hypocrites. We fear being mocked or persecuted. Fundamentally, we fear failure. But here’s the problem with our logic. Today’s Scripture from Ezekiel is painfully clear. Our preference for self-preservation is actually counterproductive. Our failures to step up for God will result in the very destruction we seek to avoid when we refuse to stand in the gap for Christ. Moreover, far beyond our limited ability to see or comprehend eternal consequences, rejections of our mission may result in even greater tragedy than we will ever know. Those who refuse to stand for righteousness will in no way save themselves from catastrophe, and we may also unwittingly expose others to judgment we could have helped them avoid had we been willing to take a chance on the Spirit. In other words, we are our brothers’ (and sisters’) keepers. We have responsibility for their eternal well-being which we cannot fulfill if we are not willing to present ourselves as examples of righteousness. However flawed our examples still may be, we nevertheless have a duty to stand as proof of the redeeming work of Christ.

Moreover, there really is no excuse for our failing to do so. We must be committed to living out what we say we believe. After all, the Advent of Christ brought a new sherriff to town. The rules did not change, exactly, but the Law was fulfilled, and we were shown a higher calling. We are forgiven. We are washed in the Blood of the Lamb. We have a new Spirit within that will fully guide us if we allow it to do so. Ergo, we can, quite literally, bet our lives on Christ with no fear of losing, provided we understand the true stakes involve eternity and not temporary comfort or lack of conflict in this life. We need to claim and experience the fact that we have the option to choose to live triumphantly in Jesus, whatever our temporal circumstances. We have the right to live audaciously, fearlessly. We can be examples of new life awash in the creativity of a loving Father. We just have to set our minds to do so, and most of us are just too timid to completely immerse ourselves in these ideas.

It gets back to refusing delivery on pessimism and learning to accept the incredible illogic of Jesus’ love for us, along with its many benefits. It is possible to live as an overcomer in the midst of adversity! Christ wants us to put ourselves at risk for Him so we can test our wings, as well as his provision. But we will never learn to fly if we will not leave the nest of our pretend security in this world, or if we refuse to set our sights higher than the horizon of this world. Step up, and step out! The Lord calls us to stand in the gap for those who do not understand what we already ought to know.