Any Londoner or frequent visitor to London would be familiar with the iconic phrase “Mind the gap, please” used on the Tube to warn commuters about the gap between the train and the platform. “Gap” widths vary from station to station and from platform to platform and according to Google, the highest number of incidents involving passengers falling between Tube gaps in 2016 occurred on the Metropolitan line and the Jubilee line. However I’m not going to bore you with neither the history of the Tube nor how to avoid falling within its gaps  -thankfully! On the contrary, I would like us to consider how, as followers of Christ, we have been called, not to avoid but to embrace a different sort of gap in the form of selfless love for one another.

It is God’s will for us to always “stand in the gap” (Ezekiel 22:30) which reflects the “golden rule: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Indeed Jesus has given us the ultimate example of “standing in the gap” through His crucifixion for our redemption from sin and death.  He is the king who came, not to be served but to serve.

Is there a fixed formula for “standing in the gap?” The Scripture is awash with verses on helping the oppressed and the poor, loving our enemies, and doing good works. I consider these verses from Isaiah 58 very profound; here, the term “true fasting” is used to describe God’s requirements for “standing in the gap:”

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:6-7 (NIV))

In other words, we should not shy away from being our brother’s keeper as this is a form of worship. The relevance and importance of this duty stated above are reflected in the succeeding verses, in the form of God’s acknowledgment and protection (Isaiah 58: 9-12).  “Standing in the gap” is definitely a prerequisite for Christian living, not a “feel good” option. Let us hold on and implement the words from 1 John 3:18: “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth,” knowing that we are not only fulfilling God’s will and purpose for our lives but importantly doing the good works He has created us to do.

So please don’t mind the gap-  well, at least till you get to the train platform!

God bless.

Isobel