The stunning clifftop scenery tugged at my heart. I was visiting Guernsey, my island home before God called my husband to serve His church in England. If only we had stayed, I thought. How I miss living near Mum. And my job had such potential.
Glancing back at the familiar beauty I suddenly sensed God say: “Stop looking back and concentrate on where you’re going.” The message struck me deeply, reminding me of Lot’s wife. Convicted of my disgruntlement I turned to her story.
Married to Abraham’s nephew, Lot’s wife lived in Sodom, which was doomed for destruction because of the people’s wickedness (Genesis 19:13). But God assured her family that He’d save them. He asked only that they flee without looking back (v. 17), as any distraction could end in catastrophe. And sadly, it did. Despite God’s warnings, she looked back while her family raced ahead, and “she became a pillar of salt” (v. 26).
Comparing my life with the past had robbed me of God’s peace in my present. Perhaps you relate to those yearnings, such as for past homes, health, careers or responsibilities. But as we respond to God’s gentle warnings not to look back, we’re protected, spiritually speaking, from becoming like pillars of salt. As we focus on His presence today, His love, guidance and purpose will restore peace to our soul.
By Guest Author
REFLECT & PRAY
What experiences in your life have undermined your sense of wellbeing? Which aspects of God’s unchanging character help you to be content?
Jesus, thank You for promising to be with me in every changing season of life. I thank You for the good gifts of the past, but I ask You to open my heart to Your purposes for me now.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Ephesians 3:14-19 describes the overflowing riches of God’s grace and the fullness of His presence, which is accessed through the Holy Spirit. God’s love is infinite and therefore beyond our understanding, but the Spirit enables our comprehension. Life-transformation is in view when we are told to be “be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19); spending time with God transforms how we live. Experiential knowledge of the God of grace should flow over into what we say, think, feel, and do. Life is filled with ever-changing circumstances that may cause joy, sadness, satisfaction, or stress. But no matter what we experience, God is always near.
What are you struggling with now? How does the immeasurable love of Christ and God’s never-ending presence encourage you?
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