The Prayers of the Righteous

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

 

Session 1 – Abraham prays for Sodom

Genesis 18

¹⁶ When the men got up to leave, they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. ¹⁷ Then the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ¹⁸ Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. ¹⁹ For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.’

²⁰ Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous ²¹ that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.’

²² The men turned away and went towards Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. ²³ Then Abraham approached him and said: ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  ²⁴ What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’

²⁶ The Lord said, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.’

²⁷ Then Abraham spoke up again: ‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, ²⁸ what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?’

‘If I find forty-five there,’ he said, ‘I will not destroy it.’

²⁹ Once again he spoke to him, ‘What if only forty are found there?’

He said, ‘For the sake of forty, I will not do it.’

³⁰ Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?’

He answered, ‘I will not do it if I find thirty there.’

³¹ Abraham said, ‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?’

He said, ‘For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.’

³² Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’

He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’

³³ When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

 

Sodom’s wickedness

Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord. (Genesis 13:13)

 

Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous. (Genesis 18:20)

 

Sodom – a benchmark for wickedness

The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. (Isaiah 3:9)

 

The punishment of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment without a hand turned to help her. (Lamentations 4:6)

God’s declaration of judgment

²⁰ Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous ²¹ that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know. (Genesis 18:20-21)

 

 

Abraham’s Prayer

 

1:  Abraham’s prayer was based on a relationship with God

 

The Lord made a covenant with Abram (Genesis 15:18)

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. (James 2:23)

 

Abraham remained standing before the Lord (v22)

 

Abraham approached him (v23)

 

Like Abraham, our prayers must be based on a relationship with God, through the covenant we have with him. We have the new covenant in his blood and can enter boldly into his presence.

 

2: Abraham was humble before God

 

Then Abraham spoke up again: ‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes… (v27)

Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. (v30)

Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. (v32)

 

‘These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word. (Isaiah 66:2)

 

Like Abraham, we need to remember that God is in heaven and we are on earth (Ecclesiastes 5:2). He knew that he was ‘nothing but dust and ashes’ (v27) and although he had a relationship with God, he knew that this relationship was based on God’s initiative, God’s covenant, and that God was to be feared. He was fearful of displeasing God (v30 and 32). Let us also come before him with reverence and fear.

 

3: Abraham’s Prayer was rooted in compassion for people

 

Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (v23)

 

A sense of justice meant that he did not want to see the righteous punished. But it is also possible that he anticipated the judgment that was to follow and had compassion on the wicked. Here’s what happens in the next chapter to Sodom:

Then the Lord rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah – from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities – and also the vegetation in the land. (Genesis 19:24-25)

 

 

There are many around us who are not Christians.

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

 

Praying for the lost is difficult.

1. There is a spiritual enemy at work to thwart our prayers
2. We may feel like giving up when things don’t change
3. It’s easier to have a heart for loving Christian brothers and sisters and pray for them.

But, the more we ‘stand before God’ as Abraham did, the more we spend time with him, the more we will see his heart for the lost. Jesus came to save the lost and we are to be his ambassadors on earth. If we are not regularly praying for those about to meet eternal destruction, then we are not praying in line with God’s heart.

If this is still hard to do, go ahead and pray for the ‘righteous in the city’, your Christian brothers and sisters. And as God blesses them, pray that this will overflow into the lives of those who do not know him. When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices (Proverbs 11:10).

 

 

4: Abraham knew God’s character

 

Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ (v25)

 

Abraham knew that God was a God of justice. He appealed to God’s character in his prayer. When we pray it is good for us to ponder the righteousness and justice, the love and compassion of God. Begin by praising him for his infinitely good character. Then when you make your request you are more likely to do so in line with his heart.

 

5: Abraham was persistent!

 

What if there are fifty righteous people in the city?

…What if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty?

…Once again he spoke to him, ‘What if only forty are found there?’

…May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?’

…‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?’

…Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’ (v24-32)

 

Six times Abraham went back to God with his request. Each time the request grew in audacity! God does not rebuke Abraham, perhaps because of points 1-4 above!

Jesus encourages such persistent prayer too.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”

⁴ ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’

⁶ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:1-8)

 

6: God listened!

 

The Lord said, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.’

…‘If I find forty-five there,’ he said, ‘I will not destroy it.’

…He said, ‘For the sake of forty, I will not do it.’

…He answered, ‘I will not do it if I find thirty there.’

…He said, ‘For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.’

…He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’ (v23-26)

 

God loves sinners.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

God does not want your unsaved neighbour to perish.

(God) wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4)

 

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9).

 

When we pray for our neighbours, friends and family to come to Christ, we are praying in the will of the Father. We may be praying against the person’s free-will, but keep praying anyway!

 

Praying in faith

Look again at the last line of the parable of the persistent widow.

 

However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8)

 

As we begin looking at some of the prayers in the bible, let’s encourage one another to continue to pray to God in faith that he does listen, especially when we come to him out of relationship, in humility, when we pray for others in line with his character and will, and when we continue praying persistently.

 

Home Group Activities

1. Discuss: How ‘effective’ do you feel your prayers are? Would you call your prayers ‘powerful’?
2. Read James 5:16 (above). Why are our prayers powerful and effective? Where is the power from in the first place? (Let’s not judge the power of our prayers by our own standards but by the character of the listener)
3. We will embark on a series looking at some of the prayers of the righteous in the bible. Start by reading Genesis 18:16-33 (above).
4. Discuss: Why did Abraham have that kind of relationship with God? Can we talk to God in this way? How often do we?
5. Do you notice how humble Abraham was in his approach (see v27)? Can we learn anything from him?
6. Abraham prayed with compassion for the people. Who are we praying for at the moment? Decide to pray together as a group for someone each of you represents, e.g. a neighbour, friend or family member.
7. As we pray for others, remember how persistent Abraham was. Jesus reinforced the need for persistency in his parable in Luke 18. Let’s make every effort to keep coming back to the same unresolved problems as a group, every time we meet and PUSH! (Pray Until Something Happens!)
8. Finally, notice that God was listening throughout Abraham’s persistency. God is listening. Believe it, and keep praying in faith!

 

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