PRAYER: A CONVERSATION AMONG FRIENDS

HUNGERING AFTER GOD

A college friend of mine had a mountaintop experience that gave him some valuable insights into hunger.   As an adventurous thirteen year old he and his father climbed to the top of Mount Whitney the highest peak in the continental United States.  He took very little food with him so at the summit, he ate what he had. A few dried apricots. He writes, “Those leathery apricots seemed to radiate tropical sunshine in my mouth. I thought I was eating food for the gods.  For years afterward, I searched vainly for the same brand of apricots. I thought I had tasted an entirely different kind of fruit.  I did not realize that hunger had completely transformed my experience of taste.  Hunger changes your brain chemistry.” Surprised by Jesus ,page 50.

Prayer can increase our hunger for God so that our deepest longings and greatest hopes find fulfillment in the wonder of God’s joyful presence.  Prayer can change our brain chemistry so that we leave behind the cheap thrills of selfish pleasure and drink deeply from the well of God’s pure love.  We learn to desire more what God truly desires and we learn to hate what is repulsive to God.  Our tastes mature into forces that pursue the goodness and greatness of God. Prayer puts us on the promising path of joy and satisfaction in God’s good purposes.

One of the most satisfying journeys that I have ever taken was a journey with a dozen college students to learn more about prayer.  Marlene and I taught a college class about prayer that changed the professors as much as the students.

I still keep in touch with some of those students. In fact I talked with one of them yesterday.  We fondly remember lessons about gratitude and resting in God that have revitalized our faith. 

For the next several weeks leading up to Pentecost Sunday we will be studying the theme of prayer. We will see how God shaped the lives of people like Abraham and Jacob, Hannah and Daniel as they engaged in honest, heartfelt conversations with Him.  We will be reminded that the LORD of the Universe is delighted to interact with us as we dare to draw near to him.  So we will learn more about God’s holy, gracious character as we study his personal dealings with his praying people.

A PROMISE MADE AMONG FRIENDS

Abraham is called in the Scriptures “a friend of God”.  And so as we examine Genesis chapter eighteen we are privileged to listen in on a very honest conversation between two close friends.  At age 75, Abraham left the security of family and home to trust in God’s promise to bless him with extensive land and numerous descendents. Now he is almost a hundred years old and he is a wealthy man but he is still waiting for the promised son who will carry on the covenant agreement that he has made with God.  Abraham has struggled with doubt and has been very honest with God about the long wait in God giving him the promised son.  On several occasions the LORD has spoken to his covenant partner and assured him that he will be faithful to his promise in due time. In the mean time Abraham is to learn trust God more deeply through his daily provision of protection, health and food.

Often we are not told exactly how God speaks to Abraham.  One time he appeared in a vision but other times we are not sure if God spoke with an audible voice or in the stillness of Abraham’s heart.

On this occasion we are given a vivid picture of what happened when the two covenant partners had a long, intense conversation together.  It is the longest prayer that we have of Abraham talking to the Lord God.  It is a prayer that has much to teach us about who God is and how we can best relate to Him.

God appears with two angels during the heat of the day and Abraham is not quite sure who his three guests are who stand outside his tent.  They look like many other travelers who have enjoyed Abraham’s hospitality before.

With no restaurants or hotels to be found nearby Abraham is quick to offer them the finest hospitality he could despite the inconvenient hour when most families are enjoying a siesta.  And as Abraham accompanied his guests at this fine meal he came to the marvelous realization that these guests were no mere humans.

First of all, they knew his wife’s new name, Sarah.  She was given that new name to celebrate the Lord’s promise that she would be a mother in her old age.  And now one of the guests reveals himself to be God in human form.  He informs the astounded hosts that at this very time next year they will have a baby of their own.  God assures his friend that he will keep his amazing promise to give him a new beginning in life by granting him a bouncing baby boy to carry on his name and heritage.

God confirms this delightful news with the words “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” 

So the first thing that Abraham is reminded of is that God is a covenant keeping God.  God had called him to live in the promised land of Palestine and has kept him safe and sound there. Now the Lord blesses Abraham with further assurance that the long anticipated promise of a son will be fulfilled. The Lord strengthens Abraham’s trust in His word. The hope of a great nation that will bless other nations is clearly taking shape. The tangible sign of Sarah’s expanding stomach will make his hope all the more real.  The three guests enjoy a fine meal but it is Abraham who leaves the meal with the greatest satisfaction.

Does God speak to us like he did to Abraham?

Well we might not have the privilege of fixing a nice steak dinner for God but God is always speaking.  He has spoken most decisively through the life, death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.  He continues to speak to his people through his Spirit and through the Scriptures. Often the Lord wants to remind us of the truth revealed in the Scriptures through circumstances in our daily lives but we are too busy to pay attention and carry on much of a conversation with our Lord.  Our busy, hectic schedules may keep us from our most important appointments of meeting with God in prayer.

A young business executive was speeding down a neighborhood street in his two-month-old, 12-cylinder Jaguar.

Just then a brick sailed through the air and struck its shiny, black passenger door. He slammed on his brakes, ground his gears into reverse, and spun his Jaguar back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The young man jumped out, grabbed the kid, and pushed him against a fender. "That's my new Jag," he shouted. "That brick you threw is gonna cost you lots of money!"

"I'm sorry, mister! No one would stop! I didn't know what else to do," the youngster sobbed. "It's my brother. He rolled off the curb, fell out of his wheelchair, and is hurt. He's too heavy for me. Please, help me lift him back."

The businessman's anger quickly evaporated. He lifted the boy's brother into the wheelchair, wiped the scrapes and cuts with his handkerchief, and checked to see that there was no serious injury.

 He then watched the younger brother push the wheelchair down the sidewalk toward their home.

The driver never did fix the door on his beloved Jaguar. He kept the dent to remind himself not to go through life so fast that someone would have to throw a brick to get his attention.

A PLAN DISCLOSED AMONG FRIENDS

Now the sun is inching towards the horizon and the guests need to move on to find a place of rest for the night.  But Abraham is not eager to have these guests leave so he escorts them along the winding road down to the city of Sodom.  And now God chooses to let his friend Abraham know of some other plans he has.  Let’s read verses seventeen through twenty.  “Then the LORD said, ‘ Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on earth will be blessed through him.  For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.’  Then the LORD said, The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me.  If not, I will know.”

This is truly an astounding passage.  We know that God’s thoughts are beyond human understanding.  The Lord who upholds the universe with his sustaining power and also knows the number of hairs on our head is not limited to our finite thought process. 

Yet it appears as if his whole attention is caught up with Abraham at this point.  God asks himself, ‘ Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’

Why should God bother to take this mere human into his confidence?  He seems to feel an obligation towards Abraham.  That is amazing. Truly amazing.  The creator of life and all that exists.  The All-powerful, All-Knowing Judge of the Universe is taking the trouble to explain his plans to a tiny part of his creation.  Why? Why should he bother?

Verse nineteen provides us with an answer.  God says that he has CHOSEN Abraham.  The Hebrew word here can also be translated, “to know intimately or to make a friend.”  God is saying, “I chose Abraham to be my friend.  I have added a new dimension to my covenant partnership.  He can play a role in my designs for the world around him.

 I want him to be more than a yes man.  I want him to be a true partner that knows and participates in my plans.”

God had also chosen Abraham to be the channel by which his abundant blessings will be shown throughout all the peoples of the earth.  He has just assured Abraham that he will have an heir next year. He is confident that Abraham will teach his heirs to honor God and to experience Him as a God who is just and right in all His ways.  The lessons of faith and obedience that Abraham has learned throughout the years will be passed down to the future generations of God’s covenant people. In this way he will live up to his name which means “father of multitudes.”

Friends trust one another with important information and God condescends to treat his human creation as a trusted friend.

Jesus treats his own twelve trusted disciples in a similar fashion when he says, “ I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my father.”  

By God’s glorious grace we have been chosen to be God’s friends.  God chooses to share his plans and thoughts with us.  Are we ready to be friends with God?  Can we trust him with our fears and doubts? Or would we rather keep him at arm’s length. This passage has certainly challenged me to seek God’s face more regularly.  I look forward to taking God up on his offer to be his trusting friend.

AN UNDERSTANDING REACHED AMONG FRIENDS

The plan that God shares with his friend Abraham reveals the fullness of God’s character.  God is gracious and just. He is loving and holy. God has promised to bless all the nations that bless Abraham AND to curse those that curse him.  God is gracious to keep his promises with those who fear him. God is also fair in carrying out his promise to bring his justice upon those who ignore his warnings and persist in doing evil. Proper justice is woven into the fabric of God’s world. God tells Cain who murdered his brother, Abel, that the blood of his brother is crying out to him from the ground.  God has also heard the cries of the victims of injustice in Sodom and Gomorrah. He now acts like a careful judge to properly examine the evidence and reach a final verdict.

God is not a sadist. He is not malicious or bloodthirsty.

He takes no delight in the death of those who oppose his plans.  Yet he will not be mocked. He is indeed the Judge of all the earth. The unrepentant will receive their just reward. The Lord God has the opportunity to demonstrate his wise justice and awesome power with the people of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

But before carrying out his plan for justice he gives his friend Abraham a chance to participate in his decision to punish those cities.

The two other men walk on towards Sodom but Abraham and the Lord remain together and the door is opened for Abraham to share his own thoughts.

There are painfully conflicting emotions going on inside Abraham.  If there is one thing that he has built his life upon it is the fact that God is just and faithful. 

Now he talks to a God who he no longer understands.  It would be more comfortable for Abraham to be a mere servant of God but he accepts God’s gracious offer to be his friend as well.  And friends are honest with one another. He dares to question the Lord God in a way that only close friends can do.   He challenges God to be consistent with his character.  God is truly the righteous judge of all the earth. So it doesn’t make sense to Abraham that God would punish the innocent along with the guilty. He almost scolds God when he says,

” Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  What if there are fifty righteous people in the city?  Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it for you to do such a thing.”

Now we learn amazing things about God through this heart pounding drama. God is not in any hurry to carry out his judgment so he patiently answers Abraham’s questions.  First of all we learn that the LORD is more interested in caring for the honest people than punishing the rebellious.  Even though the sins of the city are known to be vile and wicked, for the sake of a few honest citizens he will spare the whole city. 

Abraham’s faith further explores God’s plans.  He dares to haggle with his God and drops the necessary number of honest folk by fives and tens.  In the process of this strikingly honest conversation Abraham shows the proper respect for the Judge of the whole earth.  He begins the bargaining with the admission, “Do I a mere mortal made from a handful of dirt dare open my mouth against my master?”

But God, his master, is not offended by his boldness.  Note how God uses the very terms that his friend Abraham uses to respond to his questions.  Abraham asks God to spare Sodom for the sake of fifty righteous and God says he will indeed spare the city for the sake of fifty.  Abraham asks if God will destroy the city for the sake of forty-five and God’s response is that he will not destroy it if he finds forty-five righteous people.  God wants Abraham to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he takes his opinions seriously and that he has nothing to hide as he explains why he plans to punish the wicked cities. God realizes better than we will ever know that deep love and lasting trust are forged in the heat of these intimate conversations.

When the Lord assures Abraham that he will save the entire city for the sake of ten righteous people the conversation stops.  Abraham returns home satisfied.  He has a better understanding of the mathematics of God’s grace.  God is not some moralistic score keeper who is ever ready to pounce and judge and punish. God is an all-knowing, all-wise judge who cares about people and cares about justice. Abraham is comforted to know with deeper conviction that his covenant keeping God is indeed the judge of the whole earth that will do what is right. He knows God to be infinitely trustworthy and fearfully powerful. Abraham returns home a larger man with a greater God.

IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD GROWING?

In C. S. Lewis's children's series, The Chronicles of Narnia, young heroine Lucy meets the majestic lion named Aslan in the enchanted land of Narnia.

Making a return visit a year later, the children discover that everything has changed radically, and they quickly become lost. But after a series of misadventures, Lucy finally spots Aslan in a forest clearing, rushes to him, throws her arms around his neck, and buries her face in his mane.

Aslan rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell between his front paws. He bent forward and touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all around her. She looks up into his large wise face.

"Welcome child," he said.

"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."

"That's because you're older, little one," he answered.

"Not because you are?"

"I'm not. But each year you grow, you'll find me bigger."

As we learn to pray with the boldness and fearful honesty of Abraham we will find God to be bigger.  Do you have a question to ask the Lord that you have buried in your heart?  Do you have some hurts or fears or doubts that you have kept bottled up for too long?

Recently I surprised myself by admitting to the Lord some troubling thoughts that even shocked me when I put them into words. But if we close our minds to everything about God and about ourselves that makes us uncomfortable we won’t be able to grow in prayer. 

We have to be careful that we don’t end up praying to a god who we ourselves have formed according to our own comfort.  Abraham’s honest conversation with God teaches us that authentic prayer is a response to the true God who reveals himself to us by His Spirit in His Word.
And sometimes that can be a troubling, even a terrifying experience.  Yet in the end like Abraham we can return home a larger person knowing a greater God.