LORD, this week we've begun to seek You and Your face for the sake of others. So our readings are following that pattern. Of course, we had to start with Abraham arguing You down about the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.
It's a brilliant story, with Abraham being both ballsy and compassionate, two things that don't go together very often to make up a modern man. In the flesh, he approaches You with a disagreement and an appeal to save a people that he really doesn't know well. I mean, his nephew Lot is down near the people, but other than that, what is his investment in these people.
Which leads me to one observation: Abraham's prayer is compassionate first of all. Despite the evil of the city, Abraham is looking for the people's good. Several weeks ago, LORD, I wrote about the book of James, and how Godly wisdom begins with being pure. Purity then, I remembered, is wanting the good of eveyone in every situation. Abraham is a man of wisdom, his purity shown through his concern for the people of the evil city.
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I've been trying to finish this thought all day. From the last paragraph to this one, 16 hours have passed. Something or someone doesn't want me to finish this post. There is something powerful that I am about to uncover, or something. I'm not sure what is going on.
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Okay, so the next thing I was going onto in my thoughts, was that Abraham's prayer is not only for the good of the people, but it is based on Your very character. I can safely say that I never blatantly pray based on Your character. I usually just hope that You want to do what I want You to do. But Abraham challenges You. "Far be it from you..." to act differently than Your character.
How does Your character play into my prayer situations? This might be a really good question to pose. So, looking at the Exodus prayer list:
1. God of relationship and presence, far be it from You to withhold Your Spirit from our community as we seek You in discipline together.
2. LORD, You of Your trinitarian community, continually loving and giving, caring and providing; far be it from You to leave Kim lonely at camp, or to not provide for her in the transition from college to home.
And on and on... sorry, I don't want to reveal all of the problems and such of our community.
But as I continue praying, I have learned something else. Sometimes, I feel cannot appeal to an aspect of Your character because the problem is obviously with me. But there is no such request really, even if I am at fault. When I have a request that I should do something about, I should do something about it but I am also falling on Your mercy.
Your mercy is something that I just, I haven't contemplated enough. I mean really, we come to You with some ridiculous requests at times. And yet, you listen to us and often You provide. Like a good parent, You take our requests seriously, even if there things that we can (and should) do ourselves. I don't think that takes away our responsibility, but it You are working in areas that You don't need to be. Problems we've gotten ourselves into. Stresses that we take more seriously than we should. Worries over things that we put in front of You. And yet, in Your mercy, you listen. And often provide.
Lord of mercy, far be it from You to put off our requests. As we come to You this week, hear and act. In the name of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, amen.
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