Abraham interceded on behalf of the city when he learned that the Lord was going to destroy the cities because of the seriousness of their sin. Abraham’s bold intercession teaches us two things about him. He understood God’s character as a good and righteous judge. Abraham did not argue with God’s right to judge the cities, but He did ask for God to be merciful on their behalf. Abraham also cared deeply for Lot and the people of those cities. Abraham did not just appeal for Lot to be spared – although he could have. He appealed for all the people in those cities to be spared. More importantly, Abraham knew God cared about people more than he did.

Both observations were revisited when God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Once again, Abraham trusted God’s character – His faithfulness and power – and His love for him and his son as he navigated that challenging test.

• For whom can you pray on behalf of this week?