Prayer Day 1: "Abraham's Plea for Sodom" Genesis 18: 22-23

This is my first attempt at putting together a Bible study.  We have two weeks until our next one starts so I thought we would focus on PRAYER.  I did not come up with this format on my own, the internet is wonderful for these things but I have added scripture and commentary and some questions to help us reflect and hopefully grow in our prayer lives.  It is my prayer that we all will start to feel encouraged and comfortable lifting not only our requests but other people’s burdens as well to our Holy God who longs for our communion with Him.  So here we go!

Day 1: “Abraham’s Plea for Sodom” Genesis 18: 22-33

I have a confession to make.  Prayer has not and still does not come easy to me.  As a little girl, my mom would tuck me in and pray with me for what felt like FOREVER.  Her passion for the God she loved was obvious but I would go to bed with my mind spinning and questioning things like eternity and what God looked like.  I mean was He a great swirl of light and stars twisting in space flashing throughout the universe or more like a white bearded Father Time/Santa Claus figure?   Who knew?  But the fellowship that my mama had with her Lord definitely stayed with me as I grew.    I never fully understood  it until several years later when I found myself longing for that kind of closeness with that same Master of the Universe (and He-Man isn’t who I’m talkin’ about girls)

Laying down our burdens and the burdens of others at the feet of Jesus is an important part of our Christian walk. 

The definition of prayer is: “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship”

There are two kinds: 

1.       a request (a solemn one) for help

2.       an expression of thanks

As a group in the past we have learned about the art of counting our blessings.  Some of us have gratitude journals that we still write in.  As we explore these prayers of the Bible, I hope we are inspired to start journaling prayers.  I started writing prayers down back as a senior in high school and have continued on and off through the years.  Every time I come across an old journal (sometimes even jots on scraps of paper) I am reminded of God’s hand in my life.  Sometimes the prayers weren’t answered for years after the fact.  Some had amazing outcomes that I couldn’t have dreamed up better for and others weren’t answered how I imagined at all.  There are many are areas in my life that I still struggle with but I know He’s at work.  We are all “His Works in Progress”.  May we submit to Him continually, every single time we stumble He is there picking us up and dusting off our dirt making us precious in His sight. I think I will start prayer journaling again!

 

Now back to the homework….

Read Genesis 18:22-33

A commentary from “Christ Notes” (I found online ) states,

‘Here is the first solemn prayer upon record in the Bible; and it is a prayer for the sparing of Sodom.  Abraham prayed earnestly that Sodom might be spared, if but a few righteous persons should be found in it.  Come and learn from Abraham what compassion we should feel for sinners, and how earnestly we should pray for them.  We see here that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Abraham, indeed, failed in his request for the whole place, but Lot was miraculously delivered.  Be encouraged then to expect, by earnest prayer, the blessing of God upon your families, your friends, your neighborhood.  To this end you must not only pray, but you must live like Abraham.  He knew the judge of all the earth would do right.  He does not plead that the wicked may be spared for their own sake, or because it would be severe to destroy them, but for the sake of the righteous who might be found among them.  And righteousness only can be made a plea before God.  How then did Christ make intercession for transgressors? Not by blaming the divine law, nor by alleging aught in extenuation or excuse of human guilt; but by pleading HIS OWN obedience unto death. ‘

 

‘Our righteousness can never add up.  We will never ever be good enough.  Isaiah 64: 6 states, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away”   The term ‘filthy rags’ is quite strong.  The word filthy is a translation of the Hebrew word iddah, which literally means “the bodily fluids from a woman’s menstrual cycle.” The word ‘rags’ is a translation of begged, meaning, “rag or garment”  Therefore, these righteous acts are considered by God as repugnant as a soiled feminine hygiene product. ‘  (Gotquestions.org) GAG!!

Martin Luther said, “The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man is that somehow he can make himself good enough to deserve to live forever with an all-holy God”

Yet we are still commanded to do good works but laced with something else. 

Look up Ephesians: 2 8-9(ESV)

 You been saved by____________ through_____________?

(It is not by us or by anything we have ever or will ever do. Praise Jesus!!)

And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may______________.

For we are His_____________________, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared __________________ that we should walk in them.

Romans 3:27 states, “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded.  By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. “

Romans 4:20-25 reminds us of Abraham’s faith and how it was credited to Him as righteousness.  Paul assures us that these words weren’t written only for Abraham but for our sakes as well.  “It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. “

 

 

In Genesis 15:6

Abram ______________the Lord and it was ___________________to him as___________________.

Just to keep us all in check.  Our faith in Christ Jesus is what makes us righteous in God’s sight. We should all be eternally grateful like the little aliens on Toy Story to Him who has saved our lives…(yes the cheese whiz just dripped right off of me and onto the page)

As we pray for the unrighteous people around us, in this world full of darkness may we never forget that we all have sinned and fallen short of the God’s glory.  (Rom.3:23)

Take a moment to write out a prayer.  Thank God for the grace He has bestowed upon you and pray for those around you who come to your mind as the people of Sodom were to Abraham. 

 

 

 

Oh, to grace how great a debtor…Daily I’m constrained to be…Let Thy grace now like a fetter…Bind my wandering heart to Thee…Prone to wander…Lord I feel it…Prone to leave the God I love…Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it…Seal it for Thy courts above!