And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:23-25)
Seeking Soul, now that our eyes are getting opened and our hearts getting heavier with the burdens that burden God’s heart, our knees should bend in humble adoration as we CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD, just like the tax collector who was deeply grieved by his sin that he could not look up to the holiness of God’s Prescence to demand anything. I call on us to “Beat our breast” in shame for divine intervention, understanding that it is not our compulsion that moves God to respond but rather His mercy over our deprived state. (Luke 18:9-14)
In Genesis 16, Mr. and Mrs. Abram intervene to help God fulfill the covenant promise he had made to Abraham. The result is the consequence of a son who would be an enemy and troublesome to his brothers. In Genesis 17, God not only renews His covenant with Abram by introducing circumcision, for without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin, but He also changes their names. He demands of them a new wholistic commitment: “…walk before Me and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1). In their conversion, God “baptizes” Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. While Abram and Sarai both imply Father and Mother of “many,” God manifests His Omnipotence by expanding their influence beyond their immediate family to include “nations.” In the renewed covenant, Abraham and Sarah become the father and mother of “many nations.”
Dear Seeking Soul, God is determined to make it right through you. As you choose by faith to walk before God blameless, he transforms your perspectives from seeing local to seeing global. The apostle Paul prays the same for the Ephesian Church. Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come (Ephesians 1:15-21).
Seeking Soul, from the intercession prayer of Paul to the Ephesians, we learn some benefits of having a “global” perspective:
- Attentiveness: Since I heard of your Faith – Soul, you can only know the plight of others, neighbors, and nations by getting involved and being engaged, and you will get what to pray for daily.
- Gratefulness: Do not cease to give thanks – Soul, building relationships with others will fill you with gratitude for what God is doing among them.
- Distinctiveness: Making mention of you – Soul, constant remembrance demands intentionality and takes a personal interest in others and what they are going through.
- Godliness: God of our Lord – Soul, God is the source of all wisdom, knowledge, enlightenment, hope, glory, power, and dominion; you can approach God confidently with the assurance that He can take care of issues, no matter what.
Once the eyes of Abraham are opened, his interests become Global. In Genesis 16, his “local” vision sees an heir to be received through his servant; in Genesis 18, Abraham’s “global” eyes are opened to Intercede for the city of Sodom and Gomorrah to be spared from destruction for the sake of his nephew Lot. Notice how Abraham is so sensitive not to allow the “Lord to pass by. ” He appealed to the favor of God. Due to his generosity, Abraham and Sarah are promised by “The Lord” a child. When the Divine guests seek to move over to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy it due to “the outcry against the city,” Abraham cries for the City, appealing to God not to destroy the “righteous with the wicked.”
Dear Seeking Soul, shift your “local” lenses to “global” and see the outcry of the cities destined for judgment. Open your eyes to the Seven Mountains of influence in every city attributed to Bill Bright, Loren Cunningham, and Francis Schaeffer. How are these areas influencing your city?
- Religion: The Church (Religion) & Christian Laborers; Evangelism and Discipleship; Other Faiths and Belief Systems & Unreached Peoples. Identify and pray over the idols that are taking over the people’s hearts away from God.
- Family: Family and Marriages; Parenting & The Vulnerable children; The Elderly & People with special needs; Poor and Displaced. Pray over the sustenance of the home institution that God founded.
- Education: Teachers, professors; Youth and Senior High Schools; Colleges and Universities; Kindergarten and Elementary, Middle School and junior High. Pray against every mind that exalts itself above the purposes of God.
- Business: The Economy, Health Care, Humanitarian Ministries, and NGOs. Pray for the marketplace economics against corruption and injustice that perpetuates slavery and poverty as a few benefits at the expense of many.
- Government: Local and National Government; The Military & State, County Employees; Human Rights and Individual Freedoms; Crime and Violence; Justice and Integrity. Pray over every authority that God will use them to accomplish His purpose for the nations.
- Media: Radio, TV, Print, Internet; Social Networking & News Media; Pornography Industry; Alternative lifestyles. Pray that the destructive forces of evil will be confused and that all media be used to proclaim the Gospel to hasten the coming of our Lord.
- Arts and Entertainment: Arts and Movie Industry; Cultural Entertainment and Traditions; Addictions; Prayer of Salvation, Deliverance and Sanctification. Pray for deliverance from “hurts, habits, and hang-ups” that enslave people and nations to be unproductive.
Seeking Soul, what areas of influence in your city would you bring before God in Prayer?
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