What happens in the gaps? Sometimes they’re spaces for us to enter

By Dean Collins

During one of my several careers, I was a human resources executive. During this season I often reviewed resumes for key positions in the company where I worked. I noticed that some candidates left gaps in their education or their job history. These gaps were usually intentional because what had happened in the gaps was not the candidate’s best moments. Sometimes the gaps were driven by the economy, family or health issues, or to pursue education. Both good and bad can happen in the gaps.

When a family member dies, the grieving process includes learning how to deal with the huge gap felt by their loved ones’ absence. The same is true when a business leader or government leader dies. Those who remain must figure out how to move forward when a gap in leadership has suddenly appeared.

Gaps can produce a lot of fear. Depending on the situation, some fear loss of love, loss of power, loss of resources, or loss of protection. Unchecked fear can lead to panic and to poor decisions. As the book of Genesis comes to an end we find Joseph’s brothers trying to figure out what will happen in the gap they suddenly feel due to their father Jacob’s death.

A father gone

Sometimes the gaps created by loss create space for us to face our mistakes. Certainly, this was the case for Joseph’s brothers. They feared that without their father’s protection, their younger brother Joseph might change his tone and they would in fact have to pay for the sins of their youth. But Joseph had truly forgiven his brothers and gave them assurance that they would be taken care of in the coming days. “Do not fear,” he said, “for am I in the place of God?”

Here we see Joseph’s wisdom. “You meant evil against me,” he said, “but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Even though he possessed great power and resources, Joseph knew he was not God. His comment to his brothers suggests that Joseph knew he was still a sojourner and servant in a place never intended to be his homeland.

Protection removed

When we read the opening chapters of Exodus, we find another large gap of time. Some 300 years have passed since the time of Joseph. The favor and prosperity Jacob’s sons had enjoyed has ended. And their ancestors now live in bondage to a Pharaoh who was very different from the one during Joseph’s days. We don’t know the details, but we know that in the gap of time between Genesis and Exodus, there were many births, deaths, and shifts of leadership. But even in the difficulty that God’s chosen people experienced, we see God always moving in the gaps. He always keeps his promises. He is always making a way forward.

Many gaps filled

Even when God seems invisible to us, he is working in all the gaps. Have you ever stopped to think about the people who helped you when you experienced some void? What was the name of the bus driver who got you to school in the gap between your house and school? Who was the custodian who cleaned and mopped the classroom and cafeteria at your school? What is the name of the person who ran the sports program in your community? Who was the mayor of your town when you were born? What was the nursery worker’s name who took care of you while a parent attended church? All of these people served in places that were not prominent. They served in the gaps.

In Exodus 1 we learn the names of two women who served in the gaps. Shiphrah and Puah were Hebrew midwives. Pharaoh had instructed them to kill the male Hebrew babies. Pharaoh wanted to create a leadership and a parentage gap among the Hebrew people. But these women feared God even in the long gap of time when the Hebrews were experiencing distress. The midwives figured out a way to defy Pharaoh’s order. Not only did they get away with it, but God also blessed them for their faithfulness. Shiphrah and Puah faithfully served in the gaps.

Walking in the gaps

There are spaces all around us where someone needs a hand. As kingdom people, we must consider our role and opportunity to demonstrate God’s love to these who are experiencing gaps. There are also moments in our lives that feel like gaps where God does not notice our needs. These are the spaces that require our faith to be tested and strengthened. It is in the gaps where we can and must choose to walk by faith and not by sight.

We know in the drama of scripture and the grand story of God being written even today that God has never stopped working. In our dim view of eternity, we often see gaps, but from God’s view there is a continuous thread of action by many we do not see. God moves always, and he moves people into the gaps of service. We must decide if we will let him move us to plug a hole and fill a gap in the life of another.

Lord, we pray with the honesty of the psalmist who wondered where you were and if you cared. “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” We confess that when we cannot see the evidence immediately, we often hesitate or even doubt your involvement. Reveal to us the gaps where you are calling us to serve so that we might show someone your presence in the gap they are experiencing. Help us to trust that you will meet our needs, even as we work to fulfill our calling of service in the lives of others. Strengthen our faith that we might declare even in the gaps the prayer of David: “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” Amen.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭50‬:‭19‬-‭26; ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭22; ‭‭‭Psalm‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Bruno Figueiredo on Unsplash

To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.