Two men who stood in the Gap

Ezekiel 22:30 records these tragic words, “I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” Throughout history, God has been looking for those who are willing to stand for truth and stay His hand of judgment. After the Civil war, God found such a leader in the person of Dwight L. Moody. D. L. Moody was brought to Christ by his Sunday school teacher Edward Kimbell in 1856. A short while later Moody was challenged by message that he heard where the speaker said that the world had never seen what God could do with a person who was totally sold out to the Lord. Moody resolved that with God’s help that he would be that man. Moody began his evangelistic ministry in 1865, and continued it until his death in 1899. He was one of the first Evangelists to recognize the importance of a great song director. He had Ira Sankey as his song leader, and together they influenced the lives of millions. At a time where our country was divided and decimated, Moody was used by God to bring Spiritual hope and healing to our land. Moody also started the Moody Bible institute which trained hundreds of missionaries that helped to make the 1800s the great century of missions.
Just as D.L. Moody’s ministry was coming to a close, God chose another man to “stand in the Gap”, and that man was Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday had been a very successful baseball player in the 1880s. One day while he was sitting outside of a bar, he was invited to the Pacific Garden Mission. He decided to go and receive Christ as his Lord and Savior. By 1895 he had dedicated his life the preaching of God’s word. Billy Sunday preached with a very powerful and athletic style of preaching. He teamed up with Homer Rodeheaver as his song leader and they were able to see at least one million people come to Christ. Billy Sunday also was known for speaking out against sin. One excerpt from one of his sermons that demonstrated this is the following; “I believe half of the professing Christians amount to nothing as a spiritual force. They go to Church, have a kindly regard for religion, but as for having a firm grip on God… and a willingness to strike hard, staggering blows against the devil, they are almost failures.” Billy Sunday definitely struck hard, staggering blows against satan throughout his ministry.
Between the preaching of Moody and Sunday, America experienced its last Great Awakening. We as a nation have not had nationwide revival since the 1920s. Today more than ever we need men to stand in the gap. Hopefully God will not have to say “I found none”.