Changing God’s Mind

What if only? – Genesis 18

Genesis chapter 18 includes the story of God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. In the story, three visitors came to Abraham on their way to destroy the cities for their wickedness. When the purpose of their mission was told to Abraham he pleaded with the Lord to spare the righteous people who were living in Sodom, which is where his nephew Lot and his family lived.

In his plea, he asked the Lord to spare the city if 50 righteous people could be found. The Lord agreed. Then Abraham asked, “What if only 45 could be found would the Lord spare the city?” and the Lord again agreed. Six times Abraham made requests, each time with the number getting lower and lower until the final request was made, “What if only 10 righteous were found, would you spare the city?” and the Lord agreed.

At first, you might think that Abraham’s requests were changing God’s mind, but when you look deeper you find that the Lord already knew the depth of the wickedness and how many righteous people were living in the city, which turned out to be only 4 and before the cities were destroyed, God removed them to a place of safety.

Abraham’s heart was in the right place. He knew that God was just and that He punished sin, but He also was learning about God’s mercy.

Our prayers may not change God’s mind, but they may change ours. God showed Abraham that asking for anything is allowed, with the understanding that God’s answers come from God’s perspectives. His answers don’t always harmonize with our expectations or desires, but they always come from His complete understanding of the whole story.

I can only imagine Abraham being shocked by the initial revelation of the pending destruction, which explains his heartfelt pleas. Much like when we get bad news of a tragedy, loss, or a bad diagnosis. But then as he gave careful thought to what he knew to be true, that God is sovereign, just, and loving, and he modified his requests.

When we cry out to God in prayer it is an opportunity for us to understand the mind and heart of God. In the weekly prayer group that I attend we have a mental picture of us joyfully and confidently approaching the throne of God, ready to meet with the Lord and voice our petitions.

As our loving Father, He always hears our prayers and in His grace and mercy, He answers them in the right and only way possible, according to His will. When our hearts are determined to pray His will and not our own, we will be better able to adjust our requests to match His will and purposes even when those answers and their timing are different than what we request or expect.