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!

March 24 and 25

As always, God’s strength pulled me through. Fifty Indian women from various backgrounds attended the conference. The audience was comprised of seminary professors, pastors, OM staff, and lay women. Young and old alike from India, the U.S., Australia, and Europe. What a privilege to encourage these women in their spiritual journey! Several asked me to pray individually for their family concerns, and again, I felt blessed. I have much to learn from these humble and loving Indian sisters.

I’d been scheduled to speak for 10 minutes to a congregation of nearly 600 at the Sunday service. At breakfast, one OM staff lady asked me if I’d like to wear a sari for the service. How could I refuse such a sweet offer? Bless her heart, she dressed me in one of her own saris, a purple silk creation. Then she gave me a pearl necklace and earrings, saying that these were a gift by which she wanted me to remember her. Later, when I returned her sari, she insisted that I keep it, too.

The day’s highlight was visiting this Indian sister in her modest apartment. She warmly invited me in and we chatted about the prior day’s conference, which had been her idea. Then she said, “Please pray for me. Pray that God will help me be most effective as I mentor younger women.” With pleasure I honored her request, and then she prayed for me. Our hearts were knit.
Because of the possibility of jeopardizing existing ministry in this part of the country, I’m not free to share everything that we saw and learned over the weekend. Suffice it to say that God is at work in amazing ways. In time, I hope to be able to tell you more about ways that you can participate in one particular area, making a difference in the lives of young women at risk of being sold into the sex-trade industry. I’ll be free to tell you more as the project comes together. Prayer is the key, both now and always.