Remember
The Bible is filled with the word remember, but one seems to
stand alone.
There are things that God remembers:
- His covenant forever 1 Chronicles 16:15
- His people and He will bless us Psalm 115:12
- The Sabbath Exodus 20:8
- His commands Numbers 15:39
- God’s wonders, miracles and judgments 1 Chronicles 6:12
- What God has done Deuteronomy 7:18
- The poor Galatians 2:10
- Those in prison Hebrews 13:3
- What we have received and heard Revelation 3:3
All of these seem reasonable, but then we see that we are to
“Remember Lot’s wife.” (Luke 17:32) At first glance she doesn’t seem worth
remembering, after all her name is not mentioned and we only read about her a
couple of times in the Bible.
We know that she went with Lot to the area of Sodom and we
know that when she had to flee the area before the total destruction, she was
told not to look back. And we also know that she disobeyed and was turned into
a pillar of salt. So when Jesus told His disciple to remember her, it was in
the context of His return. It means we shouldn’t be fixated about the things
around us, but to be ready and willing to run straight toward Him at His return.
Even though that is the literal meaning of what Jesus was
teaching, I believe there is a figurative lesson for us while living on the
earth. Lot’s wife looked back perhaps longing for what she once had, for what
she once loved and for what she thought she couldn’t live without, but in the
end, it paralyzed her. She would never be able to go forward in the newness of life
that God could have designed for her.
We do the same thing today when we look back at our chapters
that have closed and wish for those things that are part of the past. When we
keep looking back, it immobilizes us. We get stuck thinking about how wonderful
it used to be and miss out on the current blessings that we have.
There is nothing wrong with looking back with thankfulness,
but the problem lies with looking back with longing.
I hope you will join me in remembering Lot’s wife, but not
following her example. Let’s look forward with anticipation of what the future
holds, knowing that God’s plan will far exceed our own.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
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