Cover Me!
God seeks leaders who will seek His face.
Common leadership principles are useful to accomplish temporal goals. Leading a team to accomplish spiritual goals requires a dependence on hearing the voice of God.
“I sought for a man among them who would build up the hedge and stand in the gap before Me for the land so that I wouldn’t destroy it, but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30).
Isn’t it sad that God was seeking but could not find anyone to stand in the gap to protect His people? Not one man would build a hedge around the land.
Effective leaders are the first to stand in the gap to protect their team. Leaders take hits without hesitation. The promise of covering is implied in the job title.
“I’ve got you covered” is a popular expression that rarely means something spiritual. It may mean anything ranging from “I’ll pay for your lunch” to “I’m praying for you.”
We know, the blood of Jesus covered our sins, once and for all. But leadership covering includes prayers, correction, and service.
Leaders are quick to pray for the needs of the team. Leaders intercede.
Covering includes a willingness to correct and coach. To leave a team untrained and vulnerable shows a measurable lack in leadership.
Serving others is perhaps the best form of covering. A servant’s heart sees gaps and takes action to meet needs.
There are many gaps in the workplace. Many hedges need to be built. Who will pray the leader’s prayer?
The first two words of the job description of a leader are “provide cover.”
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Ps. 91:1).