Watching the Smoke Rise

“Then [Abraham] said, ‘Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.’  And the Lord went his way…

“Then the men said to Lot, ‘Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone.., bring them out…  For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.’  So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law,.. ‘Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.’ But he seemed to [them] to be jesting.

“As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up! Take your wife and two daughters, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.’  But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city… One said,.. ‘Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away…’

“The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.  Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire out of heaven.  And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground…

“And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

“So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” Genesis 18:32-33; 19:12-17,23-25,27-29

Abraham, having been brought into God’s confidence about his impending judgment on Sodom, had pled for his nephew. He knew Lot’s weaknesses and had compassion on him. God assured him that, for the sake of 10 righteous people, the city would not be destroyed. Imagine Abraham’s thoughts, looking down toward the valley from his place of prayer and seeing the furnace-like smoke rise. Were there not even 10? Did my nephew survive? Is it now just Sarah and me in this strange new land? I know God is true to His promises… (Genesis 13:10-12)

The smoke of judgment is all around us: ravages of civil war, boiling violence, smoldering immorality, political instability, devastated marriages, broken families. The eyes of our heart can sting into despair when we witness the destruction, ongoing and left behind. But like Abraham, we can turn to our place of prayer communion with the Lord to steady our souls. We can trust the God we know, and His covenant promises. Even if outlook is uncertain, we can marvel at His justice that is as perfect as His compassion and mercy. (Proverbs 18:10; Romans 1:18-31)

Where is our place to hide away in trouble? Do we perceive the world through a filter of fretting and angst, or trust and hope? How will we today exercise confidence in God’s character and promises?

Lord, keep me trusting You in and through present smoke of sorrow and uncertainty, to Your highest praise. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)