Don’t Turn Back

“His wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26 NKJV

As she and her family fled from Sodom, Lot’s wife “looked back.” When she did, she “became a pillar of salt.”

Salt here symbolizes the world, for salt is one of the earth’s primary ingredients. Salt is everywhere. World Book Encyclopedia says that “salt is found beneath the ground in almost every part of the world.” And “there is a little more than 1/4 pound of salt in each gallon of sea water.”

Encyclopedia Britannica notes that “common salt is one of the most basic substances used by humans. Saltiness constitutes one of the four fundamental taste sensations.”

Thus, symbolically, leaving Sodom means departing from the world. It means that we have made a choice, and that we are committing ourselves to follow God, no matter where He takes us.

By turning back, Lot’s wife was demonstrating that the world had a hold on her priorities. On her affections. On the things she valued. She simply couldn’t let go. It beckoned her to return, to look back.

Each of us, in fact, has the same choice to make in our lives every day. To go forward with God and leave the world behind, or to turn back.

God calls us to go on, to “leave Sodom.” To leave behind anything that keeps us from serving Him. To be filled with His Spirit and seek His Kingdom. As Jesus would say, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

In your life, remember to seek to follow God. Commit your way to Him, confident that He will direct your path. Always ready to lay everything else aside to follow Him, making it your priority to seek first His Kingdom.

When He calls, don’t hesitate, turn back, or turn away. Follow Him boldly, and without compromise, moving onward.

Prayer: Father, I commit my life to You. Keep me from turning back and compromise. Help me to go forward to accomplish Your assignments for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.