Three little words may tell us more about Lot than a whole biography could, and maybe even something about ourselves.
“But he lingered.”
God had told Lot to leave Sodom. The warning was simple: Get your family. Get out. And don't look back.
But Lot lingered.
A common interpretation of that is that Lot got a lot more comfortable.
So, maybe he lingered because he thought about the house he'd worked for. He thought about the possessions he'd accumulated. There were familiar streets and familiar faces. Come to think of it, Sodom was a mess, but it was his mess.
The Bible doesn't tell us why Lot lingered. Maybe that's an invitation for us to fill in the blank with our own answer.
But not about Lot. What makes you linger?
You see, we tend to think that only bad things have hold of us. But can't good things also be something we're not so willing to let go of? Comfortable things can keep you from being faithful to God's calling, too.
That's when lingering becomes a spiritual diagnostic. That hesitation is a vital sign. So, pay attention to what you have trouble letting go of. Your hesitation may be telling you something about your heart and what you've placed at the center of it.
But here's a beautiful part of Lot's story. When Lot lingered, God didn't abandon him. The angels grabbed Lot and his family by the hands and led them out, “the LORD being merciful to him.”
Thankfully, grace knows what to do with people who drag their feet! Maybe that's the grace you need today. If you're having trouble letting go, ask God to take you by the hand and lead you toward life. You may be lingering, but God is still leading.
Stay blessed...john
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