“Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked. Far be that from you. Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?”
-Genesis 18:25
This is Abraham praying, interceding for, Sodom and Gomorrah, and he’s appealing to the justice of God. He’s saying, “You do what is just. Far be it from you to do that which would be unjust. Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?”
In a world of injustice, we must pray to the just Creator and Redeemer for His kingdom to come and His will to be done.
As Abraham prays, he appeals to the justice of God, and this should shape our praying as well. When we think about the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is a prayer for God to show His justice. Bring Your justice.
Genesis 18:25 Reminds Us Of The Injustices In The World
We live in a world of such injustice on so many levels. Just think about all kinds of social injustice in the world, from poverty to slavery to trafficking to racism, and on and on and on, all kinds of evil and injustice in the world. When we pray, we pray, “God, right now we are appealing to Your justice. We trust that You are just, and that You will bring about Your justice ultimately on the earth.”
This Verse Praises God For His Justice
We’re praying for that right now. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God show Your justice. We praise you for Your justice. We praise You that you’re the Just Judge over all the earth. You will do what is right, so we appeal to Your justice right now in prayer. God, please bring an end to injustice. God, please bring an end to trafficking in the world around us, to the oppression that comes with poverty, and how there’s abuse of power that contributes to that, and selfishness and pride that contributes to that.
Genesis 18:25 Prays To Defend The Needy From Injustice
Oh, God, we pray, defend the poor and the needy in Your justice. God, we pray to an end to racial strife and division. God, we hate it. We see it in so many ways. We’re guilty of it in so many subtle ways in our lives. God, we pray for justice, for righteousness, to reign.
God, we want to see Your justice on the earth. We want to see Your will be done. We want to see an end to injustice. Please help us today to live justly, just like you say in the Book of Micah. Help us to walk justly before You. Help us to work for justice in the world around us, as a reflection of Your character. Even in answer to our prayers for justice, use our lives toward that end, we pray. God, make Your justice known. We look forward to the day when everything will be made right, and full and ultimate and final justice will be made clear. God, bring that day about, we pray, soon, and use our lives until that day to work for justice in the world around us. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
