A Bridge to God - Martin Wiles

That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. Hebrews 4:14 NLT

Dams burst, bridges crumbled, interstates closed, and roads washed away.

October 3-4, 2015, was a historic weekend in South Carolina. A low-pressure system moving through the Southeastern section of the country tapped into moisture from a hurricane off the Eastern coast, providing the ideal setup for floodwaters not seen in one thousand years. Schools closed, emergency personnel emerged, and National Guard members went on call. Some areas received over twenty inches of rain. One member of a road repair crew was swept away in his vehicle as the bridge he crossed disappeared beneath him.

Counties and cities place bridges strategically because they need them. Transportation departments work rigorously to ensure their dependability since they cross bodies of water—some small and some not so small. Some perch only a few feet above the water they traverse while others languish hundreds of feet above the canyons they cross. Regardless of how long or high they are, their purpose is clear: to get people or goods to the other side.

Often when a bridge is out, an alternate route exists to reach a destination. Not so with God. The author maintains Jesus is our High Priest who has bridged the gap to God. Sin created the gap long ago when Adam and Eve chose to disobey the one restriction God placed upon them. Their descendants have suffered the consequences of their bad choice—all being born with a bent toward sin.

Jesus said he was the only way to God—the only bridge. Good works won’t take us across the bridge, no matter how meritorious they are. Not enough good works exist to place God under obligation to save us. Knowledge of his existence—and even his Word—won’t help us traverse the bridge either. The demons—and Satan himself—know this as well. Having affection for God doesn’t work either. And we surely can’t buy our way there.

God has designed that nothing short of faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection will enable us to bridge the gap with him. All other efforts will cause the bridge beneath us to collapse.

Make sure you are crossing a reliable bridge in your journey to God.

Father, I acknowledge Jesus Christ as the only bridge to you. 

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Gap Standing - Martin Wiles

I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30 NLT

As a child, I had walked across the great chasm while holding my grandfather’s hand.

The Mile High Swinging Bridge at Grandfather’s Mountain spans an eighty-foot gap and swings one mile above sea level. The name swinging refers to the fact that the bridge does just that. 

At the moment, I didn’t care who built it, when, or why. Only steel cables driven into the mountainside captured my attention.

I wasn’t a child anymore either. I’m sure I walked across like a “big boy” when I held my grandfather’s hand, but now I was a big boy and not sure I wanted to cross. My wife and daughter had already made their way across. I started across with my son, but as soon as I felt the first sway, I turned tail and headed back. I wasn’t interested in standing—or in this case, walking—in the gap.  

In the prophet Ezekiel’s day, God couldn’t find anyone to stand in the gap. Corrupt political and religious leaders ruled the day, and the people followed suit. God needed someone to stand in the chasm separating His will from the world’s philosophy, but no one was interested.

Gap standing isn’t for cowards. Standing up for what’s right often frightens me just as much as walking across the Mile High Bridge. Standing alone—or standing with just a few—frightens most people, me included. Doing what everyone else is doing—whether it’s right or not—is much easier than standing in the gap and saying, “No.”

But I can gap stand when I trust God. As an adult facing the swinging bridge, I lacked trust. Sure, hundreds of people had crossed the bridge, and the bridge had never collapsed. But I wasn’t convinced. Those steel cables could dislodge. Trusting God to help me stand in the gulf for what’s right is the only way I’ll ever stand there.

Strong commitment is also parcel to gap standing. I wasn’t committed to crossing the gap. I had done it as a child—and that was enough. Turning my back on God’s plan seems easier than following it, but in the end, it never is. My commitment and God’s power are enough to plant my feet in the crevasse.

Don’t fear gap standing. Wherever God tells you to stand, He’ll give you the strength to stand.

Tweetable: Are you standing where God wants you to?

Prayer: Father, give us courage and determination to stand in the gap for You. 

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