26 Oct Prayer That Moves the Lord
In Genesis 18, Abraham is visited by what seems three angels, but one of them is no angel, it is the Lord.
They come to discuss with Abraham the fate of Sodom, destined for judgement. It concerns Abraham because his nephew Lot that he cares very much for, lives in Sodom.
Abraham begins to negotiate to save Sodom, and while in the Bible it is a regular conversation, what it represents to us is prayer. It is an example of how we must pray. It shows the type of faith we must use, the boldness that we can have, and it demonstrates why the Lord loves a good argument.
Not the type of argument where you argue with your wife. No, the type of argument a lawyer presents to convince a jury that his client is innocent.
Abraham says, ‘Surely you will not destroy righteous people along with wicked people.’ He makes a case that the Lord of Heaven and Earth is a good God, and must save good people. He uses what he knows of the Lord to present a convincing argument.
The Lord listens to that.
Abraham initially asks the Lord to spare the city if there are at least 50 good people. The Lord agrees. But Abraham knows that the city really is perverse, and he lowers his number to 40, then 30, then 20, then finally gets the Lord down to 10.
The Lord agrees to all of this.
Ultimately there were not ten good people in the city, but even so, the Lord saved and brought out of the city the few good that were there. So he still did not punish the righteous along with the wicked.
The story shows us that righteous people are like salt, they have a preserving effect on those around us. But it also shows us that the Lord loves a good argument.
How might you pray for those around you, and for your own family situation, in such a way as to move the heart of God? How might you pray with a big caring heart, like Abraham did, concerned for the state of his nephew Lot?
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