ABRAHAM'S PRAYER MODEL

The Bible is a book of prayers. The character of God is revealed through the prayers of Old Testament saints. They found God to be merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth. The central message of the Bible is God’s mercy. Whoever comes to Him in penitence and sincerity will in no case be cast out, like Jesus assured us. 

God never acts for good or ill towards any of his creatures without a full understanding of circumstances. What he saw in Sodom was pure hell. A righteous God who hates sin – the consuming fire – He had to deal with those decadent cities.  Abraham approached God in perfect understanding that His throne was one of grace [Heb 4:16]; it is a privilege to come before him as we are dust and ashes in his sight [18:12] There’s no true prayer without deep humility and lowliness of spirit.

As he faced a God whose anger against Sodom and Gomorrah burnt, Abraham had one resort, one privilege – he could pray for the guilty of Sodom. This is a most remarkable instance of intercession – a tender and benevolent sympathy of Abraham on one hand and an astonishing clemency and forbearance of God on the other hand.  Abraham’s intercession for Sodom proves:

1.The benevolence of good men – When Abraham asserted that it doesn’t become of a righteous God to destroy the good along with the wicked, God actually agreed with him! “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” claims James (5:16). What did it achieves in this case, let us see.

2. The importance of the righteous to a wicked world – As believers we have a duty towards the society in which we live.  God tells Jeremiah He was appalled that there was not a single righteous person  to pray for Jerusalem and avert the punishment He was going to inflict on it, no one to stand in the breech [Jeremiah  22:30] - proof  that the presence of praying people can save cities and sinners from calamity. They say it is not the actions of the wicked, but the inaction of the righteous that ruins a society. Our politicians as a class are unjust, corrupt, even wicked, but St Paul advises us to pray for them all.

3. The kindness of God towards the guilty  is demonstrated here. He let Abraham go as far as he would. In his “bargaining” it was Abraham who gave up at one point, not God! The Bible says God doesn’t desire the death of a sinner, but wants him to be rescued. He forgave David completely when he repented. It is notable that it was after the Bathsheba affair that God named David ‘a man after my own heart’. Jesus forgave Peter his horrendous crime and elevated him.  Jesus explained He came not for the righteous but for the sinner; he came not to judge the earth but to rescue it. God’s action was quite in line with His reputation that He was a compassionate God who hates sin, but loves the sinner.

4. The humility that should ever characterize prayer –God doesn’t owe man anything except punishment - He is not bound to answer our prayers but does it out of mercy. Abraham understood this and approached God in fear and humility. He compares himself to dust and ash as he pleads for mercy for Sodom. Jehoshaphat’s humility is what secured victory when he was hopelessly outnumbered by the enemy. (2Chronicles 20) Why should one pray? Doesn’t God know our needs? Prayer is confessing our helplessness; it’s also the way of expressing  our humility and  our total dependence on God. Hanna’s petitioning God  for a baby is another meritorious example of intercession in humbleness.

5. The efficacy of intercessory prayer:  Intercessory prayer a powerful weapon God has placed in our hands. It moves mountains. It demolishes Satan’s kingdom. Such prayer is costly – it is the saint’s sweat of soul.      Devoted intercessory warriors were ready to pay any price for the sake of the object of their prayers take the case of Moses who was prepared to forego God’s blessing for the sake of the Israelites he was leading (Exodus 32:10) Abraham carried on his heart the sins and sorrows of Sodom – how hard he bargained with God! St. Paul wrote in Romans 9:2-3 “I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.  For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood,  the people of Israel”. That is how strongly  he was driven in compassion for the Jews who were persecuting him.

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At one point Abraham’s intercession ceased. It was he who put an end to the dialogue, not God! He could have understood the city wellers deserved to perish as it becomes clear there were not even ten good men there. In Luke 13:9 the gardener decides to cut down the unfruitful tree if another year’s efforts fail.

It is also possible God had already made up his mind to destroy the city, hence He restrained His servant’s spirit from going any further. In Jeremiah 7:16 and 14:11 God tells the prophet not to pray for Judah, he will not listen to it. Not all heart-cries for cities and sinners are answered. Our prayers must be according to God’s will.

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Intercession is conspicuous throughout the bible. For example -

1. Genesis 20:17, 18: Abraham’s Intercession for Sodom and for Abimelech. Abraham didn’t have the gospels or the Bible but instinctively knew the value and tremendous power of intercession.

2. 1 Samuel 12:23: Samuel regarded intercession his official duty and not praying a sin

3. Deuteronomy 34:10, Ex 32:31 - Nearly all Moses’ prayers were intercessory

4. Joshua 10:2  Joshua’s  prayer stopped the sun and moon in their track.

5. Acts 9:1 Paul was ready to forego his own salvation for the sake of his Jewish brothers

6. Acts 20:17-36 Listen to Paul’s emotional witness to Ephesian elders

Jesus is the greatest intercessor of all times. He talks to God about us and to us about God.  He who prayed so fervently for His disciples before His death. He who prayed for his murderers on the cross - He continues His ministry of intercession to this day. Our heavenly intercessor has set us an example. Being able to pray for others is one of the greatest privileges of Christian life. Let us thank God for setting us a model in Jesus. Examine your prayers for their content.

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