PREVAILING FOR MERCY

Genesis 18:23

Then Abraham approached him and said: ''Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?''

The striking relationship Abraham had with God is uniquely characterized in these verses. First, we have the unusual apparently ''secret'' thoughts of God coming to us in verses 17-19 when God is questioning whether to share with Abraham what He was about to do. It is worth noting that God chooses to tell Abraham what His plan is based on God's desire to make a great nation from Abraham's line. This is discipleship and teaching for leadership.

Jesus responds in similar ways to His Father throughout the gospels when He tests people to stir them to question or look deeper. Our promise as ''seekers'' is that we will find God when we seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Perhaps that is what God is doing in this passage as well, by engaging Abraham in matters of justice and righteousness. Abraham prevailed on God to have mercy on the righteous even beyond his own kin. God listened to Abraham and allowed the questioning.

Our God desires a relationship with us. Abraham's story reminds us that mercy is at the heart of the very nature of God. God longs to reach out chat hand of mercy coward us.