Intimacy with God Births a Breakthrough in Prayer

²² So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. ²³ Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” ²⁶ And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” ²⁷ Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. ²⁸ Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” ²⁹ Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” ³⁰ Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” ³¹ He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” ³² Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” ³³ And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. – Genesis 18:22-33, English Standard Version

God’s promotion in Kingdom authority comes with it a Kingdom responsibility. So now Abraham is privy to what God is about to do in Sodom as God’s “confidante”. That status carries with it the responsibility to intercede for Sodom, especially for the righteous resident in it. Hence God’s revelation comes about so that we can do something redemptive about that situation. This saga reminds us that God wants to be approached in prayer, that God is the Judge to whom all the earth must give account, and that God is just and merciful; it also reminds us that we be bold to approach the willing God who has chosen to work with us in bringing about His purposes in the earth, that we should have a passion for those that are lost, that we should be humble in prayer before God, and that we should not weary in intercession.

May you have a passion for those you know that are still in the Sodom of sin and need God’s rescuing! May you boldly intercede for them to come to a saving knowledge of Christ! May you persistently cry out to God for the salvation!