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Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” But Abraham remained standing before the LORD and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke up again: “what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” Once again [Abraham] spoke, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” Then he said, “What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Have you ever thought of prayer like placing an order at a restaurant? You tell God what you want, then wait and hope he gives you what you asked for. But prayer isn’t just asking for stuff—it’s talking with God and learning from him. In our three devotions this week, we will see three aspects of prayer.

First, we learn about a man named Abraham. One day, God told Abraham he was going to destroy two very sinful cities: Sodom and Gomorrah. But Abraham prayed! He kept asking God, “What if there are 50 good people? What about 45? What if there are only 10?” And it looked like God changed his mind!

But did he really? The Bible says, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.” (Numbers 23:19). So maybe the point wasn’t that Abraham changed God—but that God was teaching Abraham something through prayer.

Think of it this way: a man puts up a shelf in his house. He pushes on it a little to see how strong it is. Then he pushes a little harder . . . and harder . . . until it starts to crack. That’s when he knows how much the shelf can hold!

Prayer is kind of like that. When we pray, we’re pressing on what we know about God. He is perfectly fair and just but also loving and forgiving. How can God punish sin and still forgive people? That’s what Abraham was wondering, and he brought those questions to God in prayer.

So maybe prayer isn’t about changing God’s mind. Maybe it’s about God changing ours. Let prayer become a spiritual exercise, “pressing down” on God’s truth. As we talk to him, we learn to trust him more and understand his heart and his ways better.

Lord, thank you for listening when I pray. When I’m scared or sad, you hear me and help me. You are kind and full of love. Help me trust you more every day. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

Questions for Elementary Age Children

Questions for Middle School and Above

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