Profound
Petition


D o e s 
G o d 
L i s t e n ? 

Frederick
Jansohn


www.bythewater.org

Profound
Petition

Genesis
18:16
–
19:28



I
can’t
remember
when
I
actually
heard
the
account
of
Sodom
and
Gomorrah
for
the

first
time.
Most
likely
it
was
somewhere
in
Sunday
school,
but
over
the
years
I’ve

heard
a
few
sermons
on
the
subject
as
well.


My
understanding
of
the
passage
has

come
gradually;
with
most
of
the
past
teaching
I’ve
heard
focusing
on
the
sin
of
the

two
cities,
or
even
on
Lot
who
chose
to
live
there.
Yet
each
time
I
visit
this
passage
I

see
the
story
from
a
little
different
perspective
and
learn
something
new
as
I
begin

to
unravel
the
layers
of
meaning
that
the
Lord
has
in
this
amazing
story.
One
of
the

most
fascinating
truths
for
me
has
been
what
I’ve
learned
about
prayer
or
more

specifically,
petition.



This
particular
narrative
begins
when
the
Lord
passes
by
the
place
where
Abraham

lives
to
tell
Abraham
and
Sarah
that
they
are
finally
going
to
have
a
child.
This
of

course
is
a
different
layer
to
this
passage
and
very
important,
but
it
soon
becomes

clear
that
the
Lord
has
more
on
His
agenda
than
this
one
item.
After
the
Lord

concludes
His
official
business
with
Abraham
and
Sarah
concerning
their
child
they

start
on
their
way
with
Abraham
walking
with
them
for
a
“little
while”
as
was
the

custom
and
the
Lord
begins
to
relate
to
Abraham
his
plans
for
dealing
with
Sodom

and
some
surrounding
cities.


It
seems
that
the
Lord
may
not
have
originally

intended
to
tell
Abraham
of
His
intentions,
but
after
further
consideration
decided

to
bring
Abraham
in
on
His
plan.
It’s
very
interesting
to
me
that
it
seems
that
the

Lord’s
decision
to
include
Abraham
was
based
on
His
character.

What
happens
next

is
fascinating
and
perhaps
even
a
little
frightening.



Abraham
begins
to
negotiate
with
the
Lord
for
the
sake
of
any
righteous
that
might

live
in
the
cities
slated
for
destruction.
It’s
clear
that
Abraham
knows
who
he
is

talking
to
as
with
each
question
he
asks
the
Lord
to
not
be
angry.
Certainly
Abraham

seems
very
bold
as
he
continues
to
beseech
the
Lord
on
behalf
of
the
cities.

It

appears
that
Abraham
felt
at
least
somewhat
easy
around
the
Lord
–
a
reminder
that

we
are
to
come
boldly
before
the
throne
where
our
Abba
(Daddy)
resides.




As
the
narrative
switches
to
Lot’s
point
of
view
in
19:15‐23,
we
find
Lot’s
life
in

turmoil
as
he
is
forced
to
leave
the
city
while
leaving
his
unbelieving
relatives

behind.

The
angels
actually
have
to
take
Lot
and
his
wife
and
daughters
by
the
hand

and
lead
them
out
of
the
city
‐
a
clear
act
of
mercy
on
God’s
part
according
to
verse

16.
This
is
another
thing
I
hadn’t
noticed
before.
If
the
definition
of
mercy
is
that
a

person
does
not
get
what
they
deserve,
it
could
be
inferred
that
if
God’s
actions
had

been
based
on
Lot’s
own
merit,
Lot
might
not
have
been
rescued.
It
appears
Lot
is

spared
as
a
direct
result
of
Abraham’s
petition
to
God
on
his
behalf.





As
the
story
continues,
we
see
even
more
far‐reaching
implications
of
Abraham’s

petition.

Lot
is
afraid
to
seek
safety
in
the
mountains
as
the
angel
has
instructed

him.
When
Lot
asks
if
he
can
go
to
Zoar,
God
relents
even
though
amazingly,
He

must
change
His
plan
and
spare
that
particular
city
(19:21).

Now
Abraham’s

petition
has
not
only
affected
Lot
who
might
have
been
a
believer,
but
also
an
entire

town
who
were
unbelievers.
God
continues
to
allow
His
promise
to
Abraham
to

ripple
outward
touching
other
circumstances
in
an
almost
unbelievable
way.



One
of
the
difficult
things
about
petitioning
is
that
often
we
can’t
see
what
God
is

doing.
This
was
probably
the
same
for
Abraham.
Though
he
had
God’s
promise,
as

far
as
he
knew
his
nephew
and
all
his
family
had
been
destroyed.
The
only
thing
that

might
have
been
visible
was
the
horrible
smoke
that
was
the
only
thing
left
of

Sodom
and
Gomorrah
(19:27,
28).

To
give
Abraham
credit,
he
may
well
have

believed
that
despite
the
smoke
God
had
rescued
Lot,
but
it
was
likely
some
time

before
he
knew
the
entire
effect
of
his
petition.




As
I’ve
meditated
on
this
passage,
here
are
some
of
the
astounding
ramifications

that
I
have
observed:



God’s
love
and
mercy
are
greater
than
ours.

Though
the
agreed
on
criteria
of
ten
or
more
believers
hadn’t
been
met,
God

honored
Abraham’s
intent
of
sparing
the
righteous.




Implications:
God’s
love
and
mercy
are
much
greater
than
ours
and
when
possible,

He
exercises
them
even
to
a
greater
extent
than
we
request.



God
will
do
mind­boggling
things
to
fulfill
a
petition.

The
sparing
of
an
entire
city
of
unbelievers
(Zoar)
ultimately
goes
back
to

Abraham’s
petition.
In
19:29
the
scripture
states
that
it
was
because
of
Abraham’s

petition
Lot
was
spared
and
therefore
Zoar
(19:21).



Implications:
It’s
astonishing
the
length
God
was
willing
to
go
to
in
order
to
honor

His
agreement
with
Abraham.
I
know
I’ll
be
thinking
about
this
one
for
a
long
time.

If
He
was
willing
to
spare
an
entire
city
of
unbelievers
as
a
side
effect
of
an
unrelated

petition,
it
makes
me
wonder
how
a
city
of
unbelievers
would
be
affected
by
the

specific
petitions
of
the
righteous
on
their
behalf.
A
question
I’m
having
to
ask

myself
is,
do
the
unbelievers
in
my
life
and
city
have
a
believer
(me)
petitioning
for

their
lives?



Believers
receive
mercy
as
a
result
of
petition.

Lot’s
exact
status
is
a
little
difficult
to
pin
down.
Was
he
righteous
and
therefore

qualified
for
rescue?
Or,
was
he
a
marginal
believer
who
was
very
fortunate
he
had

someone
to
petition
for
him?
I
feel
it
could
be
the
latter.
In
19:29
it
states
Lot
was

rescued
because
of
the
intent
of
the
agreement
that
the
righteous
should
not
be

destroyed.
So,
while
Lot
may
have
been
“righteous”
in
a
broad
sense,
there
was
also

something
about
his
life
that
made
Abraham’s
intercession
imperative.
In
verse
16
it

states
that
their
escape
from
the
city
was
due
to
mercy,
which
is
the
withholding
of

what
is
deserved.
Verse
16
combined
with
19
in
the
narrative
could
very
well

indicate
that
Lot
actually
received
rescue
not
on
his
own
merit,
but
because
of

Abraham’s
petition.




Implications:
How
much
more
mercy
would
my
family,
friends
and
co‐workers

receive
if
I
petition
God
on
their
behalf?
It
seems
possible
that
my
petitions
could

actually
save
a
life
from
destruction.




I
think
I
still
have
as
many
questions
coming
out
of
this
as
I
had
going
in,
but
they’re

different
now.
Now
the
questions
relate
to
me
and
more
specifically
my

responsibility
toward
others
concerning
intercession.
Am
I
the
person
I
need
to
be

that
God
would
listen
to
my
petitions?
Are
there
believers
and
also
unbelievers
that

benefit
from
petitions
laid
before
God
by
me?

Will
I
trust
God
for
the
results
of
my

petitions
even
when
they
are
not
immediately
apparent
to
me?

In
the
end,
it
plainly

states
that
God
will
do
His
part
concerning
intercession.
The
ultimate
question
is
‐

Will
I?