Today’s first reading may tempt one to think that God is open to negotiation. Rather it was the ancient Semitic cultural way of expressing perseverance when communicating with God. At the same time, notice that Abraham is not praying for himself, but for others.

How many times have we told someone that we would pray for them, and then simply not gotten around to it? In the New Testament, Jesus makes clear that the issue is not negotiation with God, but rather perseverance in asking.

Of course, asking (petition) is only one kind of prayer. Don’t forget praise and thanksgiving (in Greek, the word for this latter is Eucharist). St. Luke’s Gospel gives the impression that Jesus prayed often. This so impressed His disciples that they asked Jesus to teach them how to do likewise. Thus, today we hear St. Luke’s version of the Our Father, obviously shorter than St. Matthew’s version, yet getting to the heart of prayer: Praising God, asking for help and protection, and promising to be forgiving of others just as God is of us.

It was a long “road” before Abraham saw results. Why should we expect anything else? Persevere!