Hear My Prayers

SCRIPT TITLE:

Hear My Prayers

AUTHORSHIP:

Genesis 13:11-12; 18:1-5, 16-33; 19:1-29

SCRIPT THEME:

God hears our prayers.

KEY VERSE:

"Be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints...." (Ephesians 6:18b)

CHARACTERS:

Danielle Rather-Not, a television news reporter

Abraham, father of a multitude

PROPS:

Microphone

Walking stick or cane

COSTUMES:

Danielle: Modern-day professional dress

Abraham: Biblical garb, "old" hair and beard

SETTING:

Just outside of Sodom and Gomorrah, following their destruction.

INTRODUCTION
Our God, the God of the Bible, is the one and only true and living God. There is no other God but Him. God has an incredible plan for the entire universe and everything in it. The Bible says that God causes everything that happens - even the sad, yucky, terrible things -- to fit into His good, pleasing and perfect plan.

God's plan even includes each of our lives. Isn't that amazing! And, even though He's got a perfect plan that He's following, He's interested in what we think about it. He wants us to talk with Him in prayer, and tell Him everything that's on our hearts. God listens to our prayers. He knows every thought we think and every word we say - even before we think or speak!

As you'll see in our drama today, Abraham learned that he could tell God anything. Abraham could even ask God questions when he didn't understand God's plan.

DRAMA

Television news reporter DANIELLE RATHER-NOT rushes onto stage, wide-eyed and excited about the story she is about to report.

DANIELLE:    (breathless with excitement) Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Danielle Rather-Not, reporting to you live just outside of Sodom, where we are witnesses to an event of historic proportions. Just moments ago, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were utterly destroyed when fire fell from heaven and engulfed them in flames. Although we are miles away from ground zero, I can feel the intense heat. Still no word whether there were any survivors, but from my point of view, that would seem impossible.

During the above dialog, ABRAHAM enters stage walking slowly with a cane, glancing around as if looking for someone. When he spots DANIELLE, he crosses to her.

ABRAHAM:    Excuse me, young lady. Have you seen my nephew, Lot? Short guy, scruffy beard. Probably a little singed around the edges?

DANIELLE:     No, sir, I'm afraid you're the first person I've encountered tonight. (motioning toward the audience) Tell our viewers your name and what you know about the terrible tragedy that has destroyed Sodom.

ABRAHAM:    My name is Abraham. My nephew, Lot, was a resident of Sodom along with his family. (sigh) I warned him not to move there, but he's a very stubborn fellow.

DANIELLE:    I've heard Sodom is . . . I mean, was, a beautiful city. Why wouldn't you want your nephew to live there?

ABRAHAM:    In a word, sin.

DANIELLE:    Sin?

ABRAHAM:    Yes. Sodom is . . . was a very wicked place. The people of Sodom were so evil that God finally decided to destroy the entire city.

DANIELLE:    God?

ABRAHAM:    Yes, God. The Lord. The Big Guy Upstairs. You know, the One Who created the entire universe -- including you, I might add.

DANIELLE:    Yes, yes of course. But why would God destroy an entire city? I mean, doesn't that seem a bit harsh?

ABRAHAM:    I wondered the same thing myself. So I asked God about it.

DANIELLE:    (sarcastic disbelief) You asked God about it?

ABRAHAM:    Yeah.

DANIELLE:    Not so fast. Let's back up a bit. (emphasizing each word) You . . . talk. . . with... God.

ABRAHAM:    Sure. Some people call it praying, but I like to think of it more like two friends talking.

DANIELLE:    (still skeptical) So, what did you and God talk about?

ABRAHAM:    Well, a couple of days ago, remember when it was so hot?

DANIELLE:    Yeah. Our weatherman sure missed that one! He predicted rain.

ABRAHAM:    Hmm. God's in charge of the weather. You guys might want to consult Him before you make another prediction.

DANIELLE:    (patronizingly) Yeah, sure. You were saying?

ABRAHAM:    Well, because it was so hot, I was sitting in the door of my tent, trying to catch a breeze and admiring the land that God has promised to me and my descendants. You're standing on it right now.

DANIELLE:    (looking down at the ground) It's lovely!

ABRAHAM:    Thank you. Anyway, the next thing I know, three men dressed in white come strolling by. Turns out it was the Lord and a couple of His angels.

DANIELLE:     (thinks he's crazy) The Lord and a couple of angels, just out for a walk?

ABRAHAM:    Turns out, they were headed for Sodom to see for themselves if things were as bad as they'd heard. We had lunch and talked. (excited) The Lord pulled me aside, and told me that my wife, Sarah, is gonna have a baby next year!

DANIELLE:    I don't want to be rude, but aren't you a bit old to be having children?

ABRAHAM:    Yeah. Talk about the miracle of birth! I'm 100 years old, and Sarah's no spring chicken either, if you get my drift.

DANIELLE:    (more skeptical than ever) I find that hard to believe.

ABRAHAM:    Yeah, so did Sarah! But, I know it's all a part of God's plan to bless the entire world through my family.

DANIELLE:    So, what's all this got to do with your nephew, Lot, and Sodom?

ABRAHAM:    Well, the Lord told me that He was about to destroy Sodom because their sin had become so great before His eyes. Immediately, I thought of my nephew, Lot. I didn't want to see him hurt.

DANIELLE:    What did you do?

ABRAHAM:    I told the Lord that I was concerned for Lot and for any righteous people in Sodom. It seemed unfair that He would destroy the good folks with the bad. It took a bit of negotiating, but the Lord finally told me that He would spare the city if He found 10 righteous people living there.

DANIELLE:    You negotiated? With God?

ABRAHAM:    Don't get me wrong. I know that God's in charge. He doesn't have to listen to a word I say about anything. But, He's such an awesome God that He wants me to tell Him everything I'm thinking and feeling.

DANIELLE:    (beginning to understand) Wow!

ABRAHAM:    Yeah. I still can't believe He even bothered to tell me about His plans. But, that's just the kind of God He is. We have a great relationship.

DANIELLE:    Well, if it's so great, why did God destroy Sodom when you asked Him not to?

ABRAHAM:    Like I said, God's the one in charge. I guess He couldn't even find 10 people who were righteous.

DANIELLE:    Wow. They really were wicked!

ABRAHAM:    Told ya'.

DANIELLE:    What about Lot? What makes you think he survived that inferno?

ABRAHAM:    Well, God promised me he'd spare Lot and his family, to show him mercy on my behalf. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that when God promises, He delivers. (pause) Speaking of Lot, I better keep looking for him before he gets himself into more trouble.

DANIELLE:    One more question before you go . . .

ABRAHAM:    Sure.

DANIELLE:    This prayer thing. Is it for everyone, or are you the only one who can talk with God like that?

ABRAHAM:    Of course not! God promises to hear the prayers of everyone and anyone who cries out to Him. You should try it sometime.

DANIELLE:    You know, I think I will. Thanks for telling our viewers your story.

ABRAHAM:    My pleasure. I'll be going now. (exiting, calling off stage) Lot? Lot! Where are you, my boy?

DANIELLE:    Ladies and gentlemen, it's been an extraordinary night. Although it appears Sodom and Gomorrah have been wiped from the face of the earth, I have a feeling we haven't heard the last from Abraham. (pause) Near the ruins of Sodom, I'm Danielle Rather-Not reporting. Good night.

CONCLUSION
When it comes to prayer, we've got to remember that God works all things according to His plan. He doesn't accomplish His plan according to our prayers, but according to His will - His good, pleasing and perfect will. He may not always do things the way we think He should, but we can trust that His plan is the best for us and for our world. Like Abraham, we can come to God with our questions and struggles and know that God hears us.

Our memory verse for this week encourages us to "Be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18b). That means we should keep our eyes and ears open for people and situations we can talk to God about, and then keep on talking with God about them. Hey, why don't we talk to God right now?

PRAYER POINTS

Thank you, God, for always being ready to hear our prayers. Thank you for allowing us to bring our questions and struggles to you.
Thank you that we can trust your plan for our lives.
Please help us to stay alert and keep on praying for each other.