Bible Prayers

Background: The people of Sodom had become so ungodly that God did not find even ten upright citizens throughout the entire city! Although Abraham’s nephew and family lived there, Lot may have sensed that he did not belong, or maybe he hoped to change the current conditions. Regardless of his reasons, he was sitting at the main gate – the traditional hang-out for city leaders – when he saw the approach of two of the angels who had just visited Abraham and Sarah. Immediately, Lot hopped up, eager to offer the visitors fresh water, food, and a place of rest as, unbeknown to him, his uncle Abraham had done earlier. The angelic beings agreed, but later that evening, all of the men in Sodom – young and old – gathered around Lot’s house and demanded that he send out the two visitors, but instead, Lot came out– one man against the whole crowd. Trying to reason with the unreasonable mob, he begged, “Oh, please, brothers! Do not give my visitors such terrible treatment!” “Man!” the angry

Background: During the heat of the day Abraham sat by the door to his tent, shaded by the oaks of Mamre. Suddenly he saw three men appear out of nowhere! Jumping to his feet, Abraham hurried to greet the unexpected guests and offer precious water for them to drink and bathe while his wife Sarah prepared a fine meal. When the men (or, more likely, angels) finished eating, they delivered a message from God, saying the elderly couple would give birth to a son within a year. Sarah laughed to herself at the thought, but one of the visitors heard and asked, “ Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Rising to leave, the heavenly beings looked on the city of Sodom. Outcries from there and Gomorrah screamed of the need for something to be done about unjust, perverse, and perverted ways. As the angels headed toward Sodom, God remained with Abraham, telling him what to expect: “And Abraham came near and asked, ‘Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose fifty righteous p

Background: When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured by the joint forces of four kings, he rounded up 318 men from his servants and set out to rescue his brother’s son. Abram not only accomplished this military feat, he also freed the people and possessions taken from their homes in Sodom and Gomorrah. Afterward, the king of Sodom came out to greet the returning hero in the Kings’ Valley and told him to keep the things belonging to the people of his town, but Abram refused. As he explained, he did not want anyone thinking the king of Sodom had made him rich! At some point during this conversation, the Bible reports that the priest-king of Salem also came out to meet Abram, bringing bread and wine. No one knows anything about the ancestry of this priest-king to whom the fifth chapter of Hebrews later refers as “a priest forever.” Regardless, the man came from an area whose name stems from the Hebrew word “Shalom,” meaning “peace.” “Melchizedek, the king of Salem and