“And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.”-Genesis 19:16 KJV
Sister Friend, have you ever found yourself camped out in the wrong place, cozying up too close to the fire?
That is exactly where Lot and his family found themselves many years ago. They had pitched their tent next to Sodom and had become comfortable living amongst the people in that great city of sin.
When the angels sent from God came to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot recognized them and insisted they come into his home. Why? Because he knew the hearts of the people of Sodom were evil, and he sought to protect the angels from their wicked ways.
Even more perturbing, when the angels informed Lot that the city would be destroyed and instructed him and his family to flee the city, Lot lingered.
I can’t help but wonder why he and his family were still living there since he was aware of their wickedness. Why had they not packed up their things and put distance between them and temptation? And why would they hesitate to leave, given the warning of destruction?
Can the same be said for us? Is there an area in our lives in which we are lingering in the midst of sin, hesitant to let it go and obey the Lord?
Whatever it may be in each of our lives, we know that it’s wrong and that we are disobeying. However, over time we’ve become calloused to the Holy Spirit’s warnings, complacent in our sin because the world says it’s okay, and we believe the devil’s lies that keep us from leaving it on the altar and obeying our Lord.
Oh, but thanks be to God for His unfailing mercy! The Bible tells us that because the Lord was merciful unto Lot, the angels took his and his family’s hands and ensured they were out of the city so they wouldn’t be destroyed.
It was because of His mercy that they were not consumed! It is because of His mercy that we aren’t either! Let us thank God today for His abundant mercy, rescuing us when we linger and never leaving or forsaking us.
Love, Trista Opell & the Help Club For Moms Team
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