A Plea

3/20/2020

Genesis 18:17 “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?”

“Why did Abraham stop praying when he did? He was not intimate enough yet to go boldly on, until God granted his desire, there was something yet to be desired in his relationship to God. Whenever we stop short in prayer and say— ‘Well, I don’t know; perhaps it is not God’s will,’ there is still another stage to go. We are not so intimately acquainted with God as Jesus was, and as He wants us to be—‘That they may be one even as we are one.’ Think about the last thing you prayed about—were you devoted to your desire or to God?” - Oswald Chambers

Today’s verse is about the plea for Sodom and Gomorrah, a place so full of grievous sin that the Lord was going to “sweep it away.” Abraham was concerned for the city, and asked God to have mercy if 50 righteous people could be found. God agrees. Abraham then starts pleading for the number of righteous to be lessened by increments of five and ten until the total number reached is ten. God agrees. The angels God sent to the City met a man named Lot at the city gate, and he alone was found righteous. The angels brought Lot, his wife, and his daughters out of the city before God destroyed it.

Abraham was in the presence of God when he was pleading for the city, but still did not fully understand what God was doing in his life. He had just been told that his wife Sarah, who was well past her childbearing years, would have a son within a year’s time. All of this was beyond imagining, but nothing is outside the power of God.

These two connected portions of scripture once again lead me to meditate on what is happening in our world right now. Humankind has become toxic with hate and violence, and sinful nature runs rampant and unchecked. Many people have turned away from God, and believers have remained largely silent to the evils they see. Technology has taken over families, and although much good comes from it, an ever larger evil exists there. It can be a place of tremendous darkness that Satan uses for his purposes. Unfortunately, we are mostly complicit about that as well. God wants us to grow deeper in our relationship with Him, trust Him in faith, and be bold in sharing the saving grace of Jesus.

This pandemic that is sweeping through our world is also unimaginable, but it is not outside of the power of God, nothing is. We need to keep trusting Him, even if we cannot see what He is currently doing. We need to plead to God to spare our world, and pray that the outcome is better than that of Sodom and Gomorrah.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.”

May God have mercy on us all.