It came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces.
– Genesis 15:17 (ASV)
When we are passing through the difficulties of the smoking furnace, we should recognize the disciplining hand of the Lord. “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:11). If we recognize the Lord’s disciplining hand on us, we will never leave Him. We cannot but walk the way of the Lord. Those who willingly receive the furnace as well as the torch are blessed.
Adapted from A Sketch of Genesis,
by Titus Chu; pages 104-105.
Tomorrow: “The Process of Gaining God” (1)