Standing in the Gap

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?  Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. (1 Thessalonians 3:9, 10 NIV)

The Advent devotional book I've been reading is "Silence- and other surprising invitations of Advent" by Enuma Okoro.  This is an excerpt from this morning's reading:

"The gift beneath all this is that God is indeed near whether we feel it or not.  What a relief that God's reality and trustworthiness does not depend on our feelings.  And God can be trusted with all our emotions and all our hungers, pains, fears and doubts."

God uses community to work in all those hungers, pains, fears and doubts.  Doubt is a troubling thing without community.  Without our fellow Christians to keep us reminded of the things God is doing in our lives and in our world each and every day, we can easily be swept into agnostism or even atheism.  I never gave much thought to the meaning of the phrase that some Chrisstians use:  "Standing in the gap."   But when we are going through a period of doubt... a real crisis of faith... a long dry spell where we cease to feel God's presense - it is precisely then that we need others to "stand in the gap"... to keep pointing to Christ... to remind us of the wonderful work God has done in our lives.  Not only are others important to the strengthening our our own faith; but each of us is important in strengthening the faith of others.  We need one another.

There have been times when I have felt too busy or too tired or just plain too uninterested in attending my weekly small group meeting.  But it is a commitment I take seriously, so I shake off my desire to play hooky and go anyway.  On those occasions I ALWAYS find that at least one of the others in the group needed some spiritual support.  They needed their community of which I am a part.

We all need to take our commitment to our faith communities seriously.  There will be times when you are needed to point to Christ for someone else.  You will be called on to "stand in the gap" for someone in spiritual conflict.  And there will be times when you will need your community to do the same for you.

Doubt can be troubling without community.  But with community doubt can be an awesome tool for spiritual growth and maturity.  Don't be afraid of your doubts.  Delve into them.  Reflect on them.  Research them.  But do it in the framework of a community who will support you and help you keep Christ in the center of your life.

Father,
Thank you for the spiritual growth I have experienced by working through my doubts and an awesome faith community that supports me though it all.  Amen.

Joys:  People who "stand in the gap" even when they don't know it; one more day of work before vacation; another great night with a full "empty nest"