He prayed for his nephew - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

It came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Genesis 19:29; James 5:16.

He prayed for his nephew
Abraham, "the friend of God" (James 2:23), lived on the mountain, but his nephew Lot, who knew God, had settled in Sodom. God told Abraham that judgment would fall upon that depraved city. Troubled by the thought of the terrible fate awaiting his nephew, Abraham immediately besought God fervently. He begged Him to spare the town, if only ten righteous persons could be found there. And God promised to do so.

The next morning Sodom was a blazing mass. God had thus not found ten righteous souls. So what had happened to Lot? Was Abraham's prayer useless? Not at all! His God is a God who hears prayers. He saw Abraham's anxiety for his nephew, a member of his family. Full of pity, God had made Lot leave Sodom with his daughters just before destroying the city. They found refuge on the mountain.

The account in the Bible does not tell us that Abraham saw Lot again. But he had not prayed in vain. If God spared Lot, it was because He "remembered Abraham". Because of the uncle, God spared the nephew.

Dear Christians, we have those close to us, members of our families, who are involved in the world. We pray to God for them, knowing that judgment will soon fall on this corrupt world. Let us not give up, for God is faithful and hears our prayers. Perhaps we shall not see heaven's response. But let us never hesitate to supplicate God's faithful compassion for those who are close to us and whom we love.

Today's reading: Jeremiah 44:24-45:5 · Romans 12:1-8