What would you ask for if you could make a deal with God?

One of the most underrated artists of the 1980's was Kate Bush. The British singer's work is unique in a sea of lesser offerings. She was well-loved in the alternative music scene, but not well-known in mainstream music. One of her biggest hits was a song called "Running Up That Hill" :

"And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places, Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill, Be running up that building."

What would you ask for if you could make a deal with God?

Genesis 18:16-33
“When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom. (Now Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.)   17 Then the Lord said, "Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?   18 After all, Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using his name. 19 I have chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then the Lord will give to Abraham what he promised him." 20 So the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant   21 that I must go down and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. If not, I want to know." 22 The two men turned and headed toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord.   23 Abraham approached and said, "Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing - to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right?"  26 So the Lord replied, "If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27 Then Abraham asked, "Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord (although I am but dust and ashes),   28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy the whole city because five are lacking?" He replied, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." 29 Abraham spoke to him again, "What if forty are found there?" He replied, "I will not do it for the sake of the forty." 30 Then Abraham said, "May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak! What if thirty are found there?" He replied, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 Abraham said, "Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?" He replied, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty." 32 Finally Abraham said, "May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?" He replied, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten." 33 The Lord went on his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home.”

Abraham has the audacity to make a deal with God over how many righteous people are required to save a city. This was only possible because God seemed interested in interacting with Abraham in this way. God is talking to Himself out loud in Abraham's hearing, so it seems that He wanted some of Abraham's input on the matter. Abraham was motivated by the fact that his nephew Lot and his family were living in Sodom at the time. Lot has made the foolish decision to place himself among a people with a large reputation for debauchery. His timing couldn't have been worse, since God had decided that the evil of the people living there had reached the threshold of gracious tolerance. But Abraham counts on God's justice and mercy to stay His fist of judgment.

We try to make deals with God all the time, even those who don't really believe in Him. From the lips of a young child comes the universal pattern for bargaining with God: "If I promise to eat all my vegetables and do all my chores, can I have a puppy?" The adult version of this procedure for haggling only changes the elements within: "If I promise to be a better person, or start  going to church more often, or not yell at my kids, can I have a better job, or happiness, or another chance?"

It usually doesn't occur to people that the best way to make a deal with God is to seek out His justice and mercy, like Abraham did. This means understanding that God is more interested in saving the lost than giving you a puppy.