Honest Before God
Read it for me
Cliff's voice
Angela's voice
Then Abraham drew near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?"
Genesis 18:23–25
Abraham does something here that a lot of us were taught never to do. He argues with God.
Sodom is about to face judgment, and Abraham draws near and pleads on its behalf. Surely, he says, You won't sweep away the righteous along with the wicked. Surely the Judge of all the earth will do what is right. Put simply, he's asking God not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Notice where Abraham is standing. He's in a place of real tension, hoping for a righteous remnant he isn't even sure exists, among people about to face God's justice. And he doesn't hide that tension behind polite religious language. He comes boldly. He brings the raw emotion of the moment. But he does it from a place of trust, appealing to the very character of God. And God meets him there.
That's an invitation for you. Prayer is not a performance where you only say the tidy things. God can handle your frustration, your questions, even your disagreements. Bring them. Just bring them the way Abraham did: honestly, and anchored in who God is.
As this week ends, what have you been carrying that you haven't said out loud to Him yet? Say it. He's listening.
Adapted from Prayer: Morning and Evening Devotional, written by Sam Anderson for The Ancient Path.
Prefer to hear it in Angela's voice? Listen here.
Closing prayer
Heavenly Father, I come to You with an honest heart. I bring my frustrations, worries, disappointments, and the burdens I've been carrying. I lay them at Your feet, trusting that You hear me and care for me. I place my requests and my future in Your hands. In Jesus' name, amen.