One thing I appreciate about the high school where I teach is that our faculty strives to educate wholistically. We emphasize academics, but we also try to help students develop in other areas of their lives so they can thrive beyond high school in their relationships, work, education, endeavors, and well being. We meet them where they are at, but help them move into what they can be. It involves accepting, valuing and loving them as people, as well as, engaging, inspiring, and challenging them with rigor and relevance as students. A key aspect of this is empathy—coming alongside a student, identifying with their pain or circumstances, and helping them work through it toward a solution.
Empathize
Empathy is important for everyone to practice, not just teachers, counselors, coaches, caregivers, mentors, or parents. If you are a friend, a sibling, a student, an employee, or even just a human being there are people around you who could benefit from your understanding, wisdom, and assistance. Although it requires sacrifice to care it is worth it for the deliverance it can bring to others and the character it can forge in you.
Intercede
If you will continue to track with me, I’d like to take empathy one level deeper and that is to intercede for others especially on a spiritual level. God created people with a body, soul (which is your mind, emotions, personality, and will), and a spirit (Genesis 1:27, 2:7). The root of most of the problems people face is spiritual (Ephesians 6:12). because we tend to put ourselves before God foolishly living life on our own terms instead of following his better design. Therefore, our spirit is dead and separated from God which causes the problems we see all around us in this fallen world of broken people (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23, 6:23). Without the spirit of God alive in you, not only do you not have God’s wisdom and power to effectively deal with problems, but you cause problems for yourself and others. Fortunately, intercession addresses that. God loves you and doesn’t want you to continue living apart from him and eventually die and be separated from him forever. So he sent Jesus, God the Son, to become a man and live the life you should have lived, die the death that you deserve for your wrongdoing, and rise again to give you victory over sin and death. Anyone who trusts and obeys Jesus can experience abundant life with God now and forever (John 3:16-21; 1 John 4:9). Those who follow Jesus become like him and do what he does (John 8:12, 12:26, 14:12, 20:21). Therefore, a believer in Jesus empathizes and intercedes for others with the love, wisdom, and power of God at work in them, just as Jesus did and does. As God’s ministers of reconciliation they pray for others, intervene for others, sacrificially meet the needs of others, and proclaim the truth in order to care for others and make an eternal difference in their lives by helping them come to know God also (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
That’s what standing in the gap means. I explain this unusual phrase and describe in greater detail how Jesus uniquely and powerfully does this for you in another note #218 titled, “Stand in the Gap.” In that note, as a source of inspiration, I also give examples of how other people have interceded and how you can stand in the gap. Instead of repeating that information here, I strongly encourage you to read or listen to note #218.
Conclusion
Coming alongside others makes a difference. Jesus did that by taking upon himself the sin of the world so that anyone who places their faith in him can be saved and freed from the shackles of sin and shame to live rightly and joyfully with God and others. If you are hurting, hopeless, afraid, or far from God I pray that you believe in Jesus as your intercessor, turn to him and he will forgive you, deliver you, and restore you as only he can. If you have come to trust Jesus as your savior, I pray that you are open to interceding for others as God directs and enables you. Ask God to help you seek out and care for the least, the last, the lost, the outcast, and even the unloving. Stand in the gap in Jesus’ name and God will work to save others and also transform you in the process.
Note: Katy Nichole sings an inspiring song about intercession titled, “God of Promise” which I hope you will listen to. If you are hurting, it speaks of the healing God can bring. If you want to intercede like Jesus, it gives you an idea of how to pray.