Choosing to Look Forward
By
Jeannine Sawall
“Then
the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of
heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and the entire valley, and all the
inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a
pillar of salt.”
Genesis
19:26 (NIV)
The Lord had provided a
way out for Lot’s family. He had instructed them
to flee from the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as judgment was
imminent. Lot and his family were told to
leave everything behind and to go and do not look back. Lot
loved the Lord more than he loved the world and when commanded, he fled and did
not look back. Unfortunately, Lot’s wife chose
to identify herself with the city coming under judgment. In choosing to focus
on what was behind her, she missed what God had in front of her and gave up the
salvation the Lord had provided for her.
We might look at Lot’s wife and think turning into a pillar of salt is
definitely Old Testament stuff, yet the lessons remain the same. Oftentimes, we
are tempted to look back at our sinful life and think of it nostalgically - - “the
good ol’ days,” so to speak. Yet, as new creations in the Lord, we are to look
to God for His salvation and not yearn for the days in which we were still in
bondage to sin. There’s no getting around the fact that sin can be
pleasurable…for a time. But sin eventually shows itself for what it is, with
damaging consequences.
There may also be times
when the Lord is moving us into something new, yet we don’t want to leave
what’s behind. Satan brings doubt into our lives by making us question God’s
good intentions. Those questions can pop up when we are being taken into a new
life, new place, new ministry or anything else that takes us out of our comfort
zone. Our natural inclination is to be fearful, to want to stay put, to be like
Lot’s wife…we like what we know: It’s
comfortable and familiar. However, our God will never take us where His grace
can’t keep us. If we choose to stay focused on what we’ve left behind, we will
miss an opportunity for blessing. The alternative? Choose to look forward and
trust God to bring about His good works.
When we decide to walk
with the Lord, we need to be purposeful in our choices to go forward with Him,
no matter where He’s taken us from or taking us to. He always has a
better plan and all He asks is that we choose to trust Him and go
forward.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Where is God asking
you to trust Him as He moves you forward into something new?
2. Is there an old
habit that continues to draw you back into sin? Ask the Lord to help you
see His way out.
FURTHER READING:
Jeannine
is a wife and mother of four active boys. She works in the property management
business. Jeannine is actively involved in ministry to those walking through
grief.
