A Sense of Boldness
“Then Abraham approached him and said: ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 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? 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?” - Genesis 18:23-25
Those of you who are parents may know how it feels to have someone constantly bartering and negotiating with you about a decision you have made asking, “Daddy or Mommy, can I get a candy bar or ice cream, can I have that toy, can I get a car, or can I go to the movies?” The requests appear endless.
Well, like a child begging his or her parents for something, Abraham goes to God pleading for God to reconsider the terms of His decision. His reverence for God doesn’t prevent him from approaching God with boldness. He knows that God is loving and that if he asks, God will hear him. Verse 23 tells us that when the angels left, Abraham remained there standing before the Lord; and when he did so, he came closer.
That is a bold move on Abraham’s part, to literally confront the God of heaven over a decision He made to destroy a community. He shows us that if our prayers are going to shift heaven, if our prayers are going to move God, then we must go to God with boldness.
When you have a burden on the line, you do not have time to be timid; you must go to God like you deserve to be in His presence. Perhaps that is what the writer was thinking when he wrote in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
To move God takes courage. It takes having the confidence to stand before God without wavering in faith, saying what you mean and want. If you want your prayer to move the heart of God, you must not only come with a sense of burden, you must also come with a sense of boldness.
Those of you who are parents may know how it feels to have someone constantly bartering and negotiating with you about a decision you have made asking, “Daddy or Mommy, can I get a candy bar or ice cream, can I have that toy, can I get a car, or can I go to the movies?” The requests appear endless.
Well, like a child begging his or her parents for something, Abraham goes to God pleading for God to reconsider the terms of His decision. His reverence for God doesn’t prevent him from approaching God with boldness. He knows that God is loving and that if he asks, God will hear him. Verse 23 tells us that when the angels left, Abraham remained there standing before the Lord; and when he did so, he came closer.
That is a bold move on Abraham’s part, to literally confront the God of heaven over a decision He made to destroy a community. He shows us that if our prayers are going to shift heaven, if our prayers are going to move God, then we must go to God with boldness.
When you have a burden on the line, you do not have time to be timid; you must go to God like you deserve to be in His presence. Perhaps that is what the writer was thinking when he wrote in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
To move God takes courage. It takes having the confidence to stand before God without wavering in faith, saying what you mean and want. If you want your prayer to move the heart of God, you must not only come with a sense of burden, you must also come with a sense of boldness.
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