Daily Devotional

“So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, ‘Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed’ ” (Genesis 19:17). 

There’s something alluring about mountains. From the rolling bluffs to the magnificent, snow-covered peaks, our eyes are drawn upward and beyond by these impressive masses of rock and earth. Some people like to relax among the mountains; others like to climb them. Perhaps we feel security from the solid strength of summits and ranges. A growing body of research tells of many health benefits of being in
the mountains. 

Travelers and vacationers are drawn to escape to the mountains. Here you can push away the cares of life and snow ski, hike in alpine meadows, backpack, pick berries, climb peaks, go snowshoeing, picnic, take pictures, breathe the fresh air, go mountain biking, or just sit and stare. “The mountains are calling and I must go,” wrote the naturalist John Muir. 

For Lot and his family, going to the mountains was more than a casual hike. Two heavenly visitors warned the nephew of Abraham that the wick- ed city in which they lived would be destroyed. He was strongly urged, “Escape to the mountains!” But Lot dragged his feet. There was too much of the city in his blood. It was hard to leave everything behind. 

Jesus told His followers to escape to the mountains when Jerusalem was about to be destroyed by the Roman armies (see Matthew 24:16). His words were also prophetic for our day. At the end of time, it is in the safety of the hills and peaks that we will find God as our refuge. 

Only Lot and his two unmarried daughters barely escaped the destruction of Sodom. By the grace of God, the two heavenly visitors literally took their hands and pulled them to safety. What will it take for you to escape to the mountains? 

O Lord, in my times of trouble, cover me with Your strong hand in the cleft of the rock.