Abraham is a model of prayer because he walked in the presence of God, heard and obeyed him. His prayer was a battle of faith because he continued to believe in the fidelity of God even in times of trial. Besides, after having received in his own tent the visit of the Lord who confided his plan to him, Abraham dared to intercede for sinners with bold confidence.
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2570. When God calls him, Abraham goes forth "as the Lord had told him";8Abraham's heart is entirely submissive to the Word and so he obeys. Such attentiveness of the heart, whose decisions are made according to God's will, is essential to prayer, while the words used count only in relation to it. Abraham's prayer is expressed first by deeds: a man of silence, he constructs an altar to the Lord at each stage of his journey. Only later does Abraham's first prayer in words appear: a veiled complaint reminding God of his promises which seem unfulfilled.9Thus one aspect of the drama of prayer appears from the beginning: the test of faith in the fidelity of God.
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2571. Because Abraham believed in God and walked in his presence and in covenant with him,10The patriarch is ready to welcome a mysterious Guest into his tent. Abraham's remarkable hospitality at Mamre foreshadows the annunciation of the true Son of the promise.11After that, once God had confided his plan, Abraham's heart is attuned to his Lord's compassion for men and he dares to intercede for them with bold confidence.12
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2572. As a final stage in the purification of his faith, Abraham, "who had received the promises,"13is asked to sacrifice the son God had given him. Abraham's faith does not weaken (“God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering."), for he "considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead."14and so the father of believers is conformed to the likeness of the Father who will not spare his own Son but wiLl deliver him up for us all.15Prayer restores man to God's likeness and enables him to share in the power of God's love that saves the multitude.16
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2573. God renews his promise to Jacob, the ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel.17Before confronting his elder brother Esau, Jacob wrestles all night with a mysterious figure who refuses to reveal his name, but he blesses him before leaving him at dawn. From this account, the spiritual tradition of the Church has retained the symbol of prayer as a battle of faith and as the triumph of perseverance.18
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2592. The prayer of Abraham and Jacob is presented as a battle of faith marked by trust in God's faithfulness and by certitude in the victory promised to perseverance.
Acesse nossos estudos biblicos:
What does the Bible say about the true source of comfort in times of trouble?
What is the divine nature of Jesus Christ, as described in Mark 1:1?
