August 20, 2021

Read: Genesis 18:16-33

And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. Genesis 18:22 

Abraham knew that God would do right; he didn’t just think that the righteous people in Sodom should be destroyed with the wicked. He asked God, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 

Six times Abraham interceded for his nephew Lot and his family. Abraham was persistent with God, even to the point of asking the Lord not to get angry with him. Oh, for a heart of intercessory love like Abraham’s! 

Abraham fully expected God to be true to His nature. He knew that God is merciful. After repeatedly reducing the number of the righteous for whom the Lord would spare Sodom, Abraham finally left off at ten. Was God merciful to Lot because of Abraham’s intercession? Yes, but He did not spare Sodom. Only Lot and his two daughters were saved from destruction. 

God sent two angels into wicked Sodom, and they finally dragged Lot out of the city in the nick of time. Lot’s sons-in-law and their families thought Lot was joking when he urged them to leave. His wife looked back on the city where her heart had apparently stayed, and she became a pillar of salt. 

May we remember the abundant mercy of God for man, and let it inspire us to a more profound intercession for others. We have family members who are not saved. We have friends who do not know the Lord. Many churches are reeling from internal unrest. Will we intercede for them? Will we believe God will hear us and save them? Our supplicating voice, moved by a sincere heart of love, will be the one that God hears. May we be moved to “[stand] yet before the Lord” and plead their cause. God loves to save people. 

~James Baer