Hennie Symington

On the theme of prayer in the Bible. What would man have been without prayer? Nothing more than a mindless animal driven by his own instincts. But mankind is different: God spoke to him, and he responded. So let’s pray.

Will you destroy the city for lack of five people?... What if only thirty can be found there? … For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”Genesis 18:28-32

So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived. Genesis 19:29

The prayer of Abraham stands as one of the most daring prayers in the Bible. It is seen as the first formal prayer in the Bible and the first known negotiation with God for the sparing of the lives of the righteous on record. Abraham not only challenges God but also is a masterful negotiator in prayer. From this prayer we learn what compassion we should feel for sinners, and how earnestly we should pray for them.

Even more amazing was that it was God himself who invited Abraham to the negotiating table asking, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing"?(Genesis 18:17). But what made God suppose Abraham would care about this well-deserved judgment ready to fall? Well, for one thing, Abraham's nephew Lot lived in one of the cities, but he never mentioned that to the Lord. Instead, out of compassion he cried out on behalf of any, if any, righteous inhabitants who might die along with the wicked.

Abraham's negotiation for the lives of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah certainly qualifies as one of the great prayers of the Bible. And what makes it truly memorable is the back and forth between God and Abraham. From this we see that the prayer of a righteous man carries much weight.

Many centuries later there would be another great negotiation for the soul of mankind: Jesus offering to pledge his own life for the salvation of many.

Prayer: God, thank you for heroes of the faith who paved the way for sinners like us to find salvation. Amen