Cooperating with God

"And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt." (Genesis 19:29).

It was for the sake of Abraham that the angels pulled them out. It was an unusual thing. Man should exercise his will. When he exercises it towards God, he will rise to great heights and become like God, not to vie with Him for equality but to work with Him. "Ye are gods", says the Bible. There is nothing you cannot do, when you cooperate with God. Because of your prayers many will be delivered. God can pull us out of hell but we can go back to hell because we are free-willed agents. The sinful propensities of men become divine propensities when they are converted. But God will not take away your free will. He will invite you out of Sodom but will not force you out. Even if He does, you will look back and perish when you do not exercise your will. The capacity to grow and develop is put into you. Abraham with faith goes on praying. Lot has a righteousness without faith and has no prayer. A mere moral man cannot better those around him. A man of faith develops both mentally and spiritually. He understands the mystic forces that are in operation in the world. These spiritual forces operate under certain conditions of holy-living and humility. "We then, as workers together with him ..." (2 Corinthians 6:1). Abraham was a worker together with God. His mind was so developed that he pleaded with God step by step. There was not one righteous man with faith there. The only righteous man Lot had no faith. His righteousness did not influence his wife or children. God will not force man. Even if He did, man would go back to hell. Abraham prayed! If Lot had preached in Sodom, what results there might have been!

Abraham was praying but Lot was not preaching. He was busy making money, and his wife was busy storing the money. Abraham stood before God. If Abraham prayed so much for Sodom, how much he would have prayed for his own family! God knew he would make his children walk in the ways of God. Think of this father and son going towards the place of sacrifice - when father and children cooperate what great things are done! Abraham's prayer resulted in saving Lot and his children from immediate death. But Lot's life was wasted. He lost all his property too. Misery reigned in his family.