Morning by Morning—Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays: Are There Ten Righteous Who Remain? -- Or Only One.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Are There Ten Righteous Who Remain? -- Or Only One. - September 23, 2020

Morning by Morning, September 23 - Are There Ten Righteous Who Remain? -- Or Only One.

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"The Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great a mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.' Then the Lord said, 'How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to Me; and if not, I will know'" (Genesis 18:17-21).

You spoke to Abraham from Your heart of mercy before Your day of judgment for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. There was a great outcry, for there was grave sin in those cities. Yet as much as there was outcry for the sin and the righteousness of Your justice and judgment, You moved in Abraham's heart to intercede with an outcry of passionate prayer for Your forgiveness and mercy. For the sake of a few who remained righteous -- seeking to be right with God in their hearts turned to You -- You were willing to withhold the judgment they deserved and forgive them their sin:

"Then Abraham came near and said, 'Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? ... And the Lord said, 'If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake" (Genesis 18:23-26). Abraham persisted in prayer -- What if there are forty-five righteous who remain in the city or forty or thirty or twenty or even just ten? (v. 27-32) With Your heart for mercy, You replied to Abraham's persistent prayers, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it" (v. 32).

When You look at the heart of our cities throughout our nation, no doubt there is a great outcry for our grave sins -- even in the hearts of Your people who are called by Your name, where we've given in to our culture and been corrupted in our complacency and our compromise with Your Word and Your ways. You are righteous in Your judgment against our sin. And we are deserving of the destruction You rained down on the cities You wanted to spare but could not for the lack of even just a few righteous who remained.

As You look at the cities of our nation, are there ten hearts who remain righteous? Are there ten souls who remain faithful? As You said to Abraham, would You be willing to speak to us, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it?" (v. 32) ...

The truth is, "None are righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:9; Psalm 14:3; Isaiah 53:6). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

So as much as the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, we desperately need Your mercy and grace. We don't deserve it. We can't earn it. But we can humble ourselves in Your sight in prayer, we can turn from our wicked ways in repentance, and we can call upon Your name and cry out to You for ourselves and for the cities of our nation (2 Chronicles 7:14). As we do, we ask You to remember mercy even in Your judgment (Habakkuk 3:2). And we remind You of the Promise of Your Word, "If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Come, Holy Spirit. Come stir in the hearts of ten or more in every city in our nation to turn to You, to return to You. It's not on the basis of our righteousness, but on the basis of Your righteousness, that we humble ourselves to seek Your mercy. "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring (us) to God" (1 Peter 3:18). Solely on the basis of the Blood of Christ alone, through His righteous Sacrifice for us, may You hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you be stirred by the Holy Spirit to join with those who are humbling themselves in prayers of repentance in these days for ourselves and the cities of our nation, seeking to return to God and receive His mercy as we cry out to Him, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Please come join us if you can and keep us in prayer if you can't for this exciting opportunity of ministry:

An Evening of Worship, Encouragement, and Ministry
October 1, 2020 at the Kendall Inn in Boerne, Texas Sponsored by Aglow International