| Intimacy and Intercession |
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Genesis 18:17, 22-24
And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? *And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? *And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
In our text above, Abraham didn't ask God any question per se. It was God who initiated the discussion with Abraham about what He was going to do. That was the level of His intimacy with God. In James 2:23, the Bible calls Abraham a friend of God. When we are intimate with God, He will begin to reveal Himself and other things to us. He will also manifest Himself in our lives in awesome ways. Abraham loved God and He had a real relationship with Him. What are you doing to grow in fellowship and intimacy with God? God is desperately seeking a deeper level of fellowship and intimacy with you. As you draw near to God, He will draw near to you, James 4:8.Another very powerful thing we see in our text above is Abraham's response after God revealed the plan for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham, without prompting, began to plead and intercede for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah. Why was he so concerned about people that he didn't even know? Abraham had developed a passion for the salvation of the souls of men just like God. He didn't want anyone to perish. Jonah, on the other hand, was sent by God to minister to the people of Nineveh so they could repent and God's judgment would be averted from their land. However, Jonah initially refused. When God stirs your heart to pray or minister to someone, how will you respond?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I desire a deeper and closer fellowship with You. Draw me nearer to You. Also use me as a vessel to intercede for others and to minister salvation to them.
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