NO TURNING BACK

TEXT: GENESIS 19:14-26

¹⁸ Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! ¹⁹ Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. ²⁰ See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” ²¹ And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. ²² Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there. “Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. ²³ The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. ²⁵ So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. ²⁶ But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (NKJV).

Have you ever wondered how this applies to our lives? Because the story of Lot’s wife brings me to a place of deep thought. This story poignantly reminds us of the dangers of looking back, especially when the future holds the promise of salvation and hope. The topic “no turning back” resonates deeply with this story, urging us to focus forward, leave behind the past, and trust in God’s direction, no matter how difficult the journey may seem. Just like Lot’s wife, there are moments we hold on to the old and mundane so much that we become stuck and unwilling to look out for what is ahead of us.

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were infamous for their wickedness, and God had decided to bring about their ruin. Lot lived in Sodom then, and God chose to spare him and his family. He sent two angels to warn Lot and his family to flee the city and not look back. As the family fled, God’s judgement began to rain down upon Sodom and Gomorrah in the form of sulfur and fire. Lot’s family was instructed to escape to the mountains and not look back at the destruction. But in their escape, Lot’s wife disobeyed this command. She turned around, looking back at the burning cities of her past. As a result of her disobedience, she was instantly turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).

Looking back when God is calling us to move forward means that we are clinging to our old ways known as the comfort zone even when they are destructive and detrimental to us. Lot’s family was offered a chance at salvation but his wife’s desire to return to the familiar in this case a life of sin, cost her her life. No matter how comfortable or familiar our past may seem, it can never offer the future God has in store for us. God is so forward-thinking about us that a 10-year-old can never be the same age in another 10 years. In the same way, we cannot be 30-year-olds stuck in the body of a 5-year-old. In Isaiah 43:18-19, God spoke His word to us; remembering not the former things because God is set to do something new as we tend to hold on to the past.

Isaiah 43:18-19: “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness. And rivers in the desert. (NKJV)

This is a word for someone today to let go of the old habits, addictions, comforts, fear, and bitterness that have held you bound and somehow formed a system of how you view life and most importantly God. The past blinds us to the great potential that lies ahead. There is a need for decisive action as we see in Philippians 3:13-14 where Paul writes,

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  (NIV)

Our mindset should be forward-focused to embrace growth and God’s call for us individually and collectively because looking back can halt our progress.

For those struggling to leave the past behind, the story of Lot’s wife offers a sobering reminder. We must learn to trust God that the future He promised us is greater than the past. The act of not turning back requires faith—faith that God’s plan is superior to any experience or comfort. When God calls us to move forward in life, whether in faith, personal growth, or spiritual maturity, we must trust His direction, leaving behind the enticements of the past. Only then can we fully experience the fullness of the life ahead, in the freedom and promises of God’s kingdom.

Lastly, Sodom and Gomorrah were places that rejected everything that God intended for His children; in the same way, we ought to ask ourselves some questions;

• What are the things I hold on tightly to?
• Are they God’s intention for me?
• Are there events in my life enslaving me?
• Am I willing to leave the former and embrace the new?

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I ask that for every one of your children reading this now, you grant them the grace to focus on what you have now and in the future for them in Jesus’ name, Amen.