Prayer and Intercession: 3. Abraham and Intercession

In Genesis 18: 16-33 Abraham intercedes for the city of Sodom, a city which God has decided to destroy because for its great wickedness. In verse 17 God says, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing”. In the following verses God explains to Abraham that He will destroy Sodom because of its great wickedness but in verses 23–32 Abraham appear almost to barter with God for the city begging that if there be 50, then 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, then finally down to 10 good people in the city; if that many good people can be found Abraham asks that God would not destroy Sodom, and God promises that if He can find 10 good people then He will not destroy Sodom. Unfortunately for Sodom God can’t find even 10 good people and He completely wipes the city off the face of the planet!

This though is the best way of seeing intercession in action, Abraham stood in the gap for the city and pleaded with God for it and God answered his petition. Read through the story yourself and you will see that it is out of great intimacy of friendship with God that Abraham was able to intercede for Sodom, because God shared His plans with Abraham. This is the core of intercession, God sharing with us His grief, His joy and His heart and us praying into this privileged information.

In John 15: 15 Jesus says,
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things I heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

What a privilege to know the Creator of the universe in such a way as to be called His friend and to have Him share with us the burdens of His heart.

Sara Jukes

2003-10-13