Abraham Prayed
Today's Verse:
So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. ~Genesis 20:17
America is a sports-crazed country. Our love for all kinds of sports has turned out some incredible athletes who have become legends in their own right. Associated with the love for sports are many sports idioms that are an ingrained part of our culture. Among these is the phrase “going to bat for you.” This means someone is willing to take your place, be your substitute, defend you, or represent you at a critical moment. In our text this morning, Abraham goes to bat for the king of the Philistines. Abraham assumes the role of an intercessor to pray for this king’s wife and the women of the kingdom who could not bear children.
We see the urgency of the situation.
God cursed the Philistine king’s wife and his maidservants from bearing children. The reason for this was because the king had unlawfully taken Sarah, Abraham’s wife, for his harem. Sarah was already married. Sarah would be the mother of a miraculous birth. Abimelech presented an impediment and interference to the plan of God for Abraham. When these Philistine women realized they could not conceive, they immediately realized there was a supernatural power at work. They needed a reversal of this situation. Many times, people do not realize how much they need God in their lives until a crisis or urgency comes their way. Urgency drives us to our knees. Urgency compels us to realize how much we need God!
We see the undertaking for the situation.
God told Abimelech that Abraham was a prophet and that he would pray for him. When there is an urgency or a crisis in someone’s life, they are unsure of what to do. They feel weak and helpless to come to God. It is at that moment that we appreciate when someone goes to bat for them. It is at that moment we understand the necessity of having someone who can pray for us. God told Abimelech concerning Abraham, “He is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee.” One of the great privileges of the Christian life is going to God in prayer for the needs of another person. Intercessory prayer is asking God to change a difficult and an impossible situation. It is the power of the one who is on his knees negotiating a solution from God. Intercessory prayer entails time, effort, a holy life, and fervency.
We see the unfolding for the situation.
God heard and answered Abraham’s prayer. God opened the wombs of these once infertile women and made them capable of bearing children. God gave life where there was death. God gave fruitfulness where there was once barrenness. God turned sorrow into joy. God made the impossible possible. Abraham was grateful that he could serve the Lord and this king through intercessory prayer. The king was grateful that the prophet of God was there to pray for him. He was grateful Abraham went to bat for him.
Don’t minimize the importance of intercessory prayer. Paul said, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” Go to bat for someone who is in need. Step up to the plate, and take a mighty swing for someone who needs you to hit a home run for them. Pray with urgency and with the desire that God will answer your prayer.
Have a prayer-emphasized God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Numbers 16-17