Abe Prayed

Back to Abraham and his relationship with God. Theirs was an intimate one as evidenced in their conversation about Sodom (Genesis 18) "God, You wouldn't destroy the city if You found 50 righteous men there, would You? After all, You're a just God."

"You're right," said God. "I'd save it for their sakes."

Abraham mustered his courage for round #2. "What if You found 45 righteous men?"

"I'd save the whole place for their sake," said God.

"Forty?"

"If I find 40 righteous men, I'll spare the city." And so went the conversation, back and forth, until God agreed to spare the entire city if He could find 10 righteous men.

Verse 27 contains a word that describes Abraham's approach. It's the word bold. The dictionary says this word means, "without fear; daring." Abraham was indeed daring in his prayers. I'm not convinced that he was without fear, however, because the passage sounds like he had to muster his courage before each request. Perhaps he was a little concerned that God might consider him a smart-alek for his approach. I think it was the opposite -- it looks like God rather enjoyed the banter, otherwise He might have ended the conversation in disgust. Regardless, Abraham conversed with God in a way that's possible only between friends.

This story encourages me in my prayer life. It shows me that God enjoys honest communication. He invites me to be daring in my requests and in my approach. That's reinforced in Hebrews 4:16 -- "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

May we all enjoy such intimate relationship with God that our conversations with Him reflect deep friendship!