Abraham Praying for Sodom: Six Lessons in Prayer

God delights to hear prayer. Not only does He command prayer, but He also reminds us frequently of the incredible power of prayer. Genesis 18 chronicles one of the most effective prayers in the Bible. Looking out over the vast ‘Plain of Jordan,’ Abraham intercedes with God to save the evil city of Sodom, residence of his nephew Lot. In this short narrative (Genesis 18:16-33) we learn six enduring lessons in prayer.

First, the Lord stays behind to tell Abraham his plans. Why? Because God says that He has predestined Abraham to be a source of blessing to all the nations. Here is an invitation, as it were, for Abraham to be a source of blessing to the ‘nations’ of Sodom and Gomorra. Even though God intends to destroy them for their sins, Abraham is given the opportunity to pray for these cities and ask God to spare them. It is a ‘green card’ for Abraham to pray. Christians, also, have a ‘green card’ to petition God for mercies, both for ourselves and others.

Second, God and Abraham are standing there, watching as the two other men leave. Then Abraham ‘drew near.’ He intends to intercede with God. It is a beautiful picture of prayer: we are standing here, and God is near us – but we must actually ‘draw near’ to God. We must turn toward Him, come to Him, and do so with the express purpose of petitioning his grace.

We must actually draw near to God. We must turn toward Him, come to Him, and do so with the express purpose of petitioning his grace.

Third, Abraham pleads with God based on God’s own character. Arguing from what Abraham knows about how God acts, the patriarch argues that God should act a certain way. Extending mercy is only consistent with God’s own inclination to be favorable toward the righteous. The Christian, also, should argue his petitions based on the character of God.

Fourth, God demonstrates an immense willingness to show grace. For every request that Abraham asks, God states that He will grant it. Now also, God is immensely eager to grant the prayers of His little children.

God is immensely eager to grant the prayers of His little children.

Fifth, the pity is that Abraham asks so much, but he stops just before he asked enough. Abraham could have asked God to be gracious to the city if only one righteous man was found. Instead, he stopped short, limiting himself. God did not limit his petitions; Abraham limited them. How often do we ask for grace, but we do not ask for enough grace?

Sixth, even when we fail, God still shows grace. Though the Almighty did not spare the cities, He refused to judge them until Lot was delivered. Even though Abraham did not request enough, God still showed grace. Let us pray fervently, rejoicing that God still shows us more mercy than we seek.