City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

²⁰ Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, ²¹ I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

Genesis 18:20-21 (ESV)

²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

Romans 9:22-24 (ESV)

⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:8-9 (ESV)

Aisha’s Analysis

In today’s portion of Genesis, we see that the Lord has heard the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and decides to go there to assess the situation. While some may think of the Lord’s intervention as superfluous and strange, it is in truth a display of God’s heart of mercy towards humanity. 

According to today’s text, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were living in very grave sin. If God were to just ignore that situation and let the people persist in their depravity, what would happen? It could potentially spread to other places or perhaps things would only get worse to a point that it could never be restored. There would be no hope that things could ever change. 

However, that’s not what happened here. God intervened in that situation and exercised His judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah in a unique way. He heard the outcry and acted on it. He purified the wickedness of those places by fire. 

And that is exactly what He is positioned to do. God’s judgment is always just and fair. Some may think God is harsh and unloving, but nothing could be further from the truth. God is patient and longsuffering with humanity. He gives us every opportunity to repent and turn from our wickedness. 

In today’s verses from Genesis, God is sharing His plans with Abraham and actually gives him an opportunity to intercede for those cities. This shows us the power of what a relationship with God can do for those around us. As believers, we have preservation power. The Bible calls us the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14). Salt brings preservation and light brings revelation. That is exactly what God through Abraham’s intercession did for Lot and his family. He revealed to Lot and his family the things that were going to happen and preserved their lives to the extent they listened to His instructions.

Application

Today’s text behooves us to see things from God’s perspective. Are we going to listen to the outcry He is hearing? If so, how should we respond and act? Abraham interceded for Lot, and if he hadn’t, Lot surely would have perished along with everyone else in Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Could the same happen for those around us if we do not intercede? Today’s application is a practice in intercession. Pray for your city and for the people God has placed in your life. Like Abraham did for Lot, your intercession could very well save them from destruction. 

Prayer

Father God, thank You for placing me exactly where I am. I know there’s a reason for it. I want to be salt and light in this place. I want to shine for You and bring Your truth and brightness to this place, and I thank You for empowering me to do so. In Jesus’ Name, amen.