Less Than Ten

A couple of days ago, I wrote about Noah and how he was able to stand alone for God when the rest of the world (literally) was going against God. This morning I read about Lot and his experience with the angels and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The contrast between Noah and his fear of God and Lot and his fear of men is striking.

Where Noah was alone in his faith in God, Lot had his Uncle Abraham praying for him. In Genesis 18, we read where Abraham bargained with God to save Lot and his family, asking that God spare the city if only ten "innocent" people could be found in Sodom. Of course, there weren't ten innocent people in Sodom. There was only Lot, his wife and his two daughters - and just how "innocent" were they? Lot had gained a significant position of authority within the city. We know this because he was there sitting at the entrance of the city, a place of honor, when the angels arrived (see Genesis 19). He knew the kind of people who lived in that city...he was aware of the many forms of perversion that took place there. He also knew enough about God to be able to recognize God's angels when they arrived. But he didn't know God well enough to trust that God's power could protect the angels. Instead he was willing to risk the lives of his own two virgin daughters - who were engaged to marry men who also happened to be outside of the house wanting to get at the angels. And just where was Lot's wife? She was probably just wishing that the angels would go away and not disrupt the lifestyle of privilege they were enjoying living in that city.

Abraham bargained to God for ten innocent people...they just weren't there, so God destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah and most of the surrounding valley. Lot and his daughters were the only ones to survive (and just narrowly at that). Mrs. Lot turned back (against the instructions of the angel) to take one last look at all she was leaving behind. And she paid the consequence for hanging on to the past.

When God works in our lives, when he asks something of us that just seems impossible, we can respond in several ways:

1) Like Noah, we can simply trust and obey. Even in the face of massive opposition, we can know that standing FOR God will never be a futile effort.

2) Like Lot, we can obey - kicking and screaming. The angels had to grab Lot and his family physically by their hands in order to get them out of the city. They did not want to go. Even with the angels of God standing immediately in their midst, they still were reluctant to follow. But at least they did, although they were not willing to go to the place in the mountain that God had directed them to. Instead, they chose to stay in the valley -- protected, but still far short of where God wanted them to be.

3) Like Lot's wife, we can hold on to the past and pay the consequences. Sometimes letting go is the hardest thing to do...especially if we don't see the harm in holding on to the past. Mrs. Lot, I'm sure, was very happy and comfortable where she was at. She also didn't want to go. She was not able to recognize the corruption around her in order to be able to acknowledge the riches that God had waiting for her on the mountain. She looked back. She not only lost all that she had, she lost all that could have been hers. She lost her own life.

So what do you do when you know that God is leading you outside of your comfort zone, into the unknown, or to do something that you never imagined you could do? Do you respond like Noah, who built an ark in preparation for a downpour from the sky that had never happed before? Do you respond like Lot, trying to rationalize, find alternative solutions and finally resolve to obey, but reluctantly and half-heartedly? Or do you respond like Lot's wife, not willing to let go and look ahead, not willing to take your eyes off of what you could loose in order to see what you would gain?

The same God who led Noah to build the ark and covered the earth with the flood is the same God who poured destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the same God who guides and directs us today. This is the very same God who sent his Son to pay the penalty for our sin that no one else could pay. This is the same God who knows and loves each of us individually and intimately.

How will you respond to God's next request of you?


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Journal Archive, March 2, 2005

John 11:17-37

I'm finding it interesting that, even in the midst of great grief over the loss of her brother, and disappointment that Jesus did not arrive sooner to save their brother from dying, Martha was able to give one of the most concise statements of faith anywhere in the Bible - "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God." We aren't told what Jesus' response to her was, but she must have realized at that point that Mary wasn't with her, and she ran back to get her.

The faith exhibited by Mary and Martha is something I would like to think I have in my own life. To be able to call out to Jesus in time of need, to wonder but not doubt when his timing is not what I think it should be, to express the deep faith that Martha expressed when it would be so easy to focus on myself.

Father God, I ask that you would help me to have the heart of Martha in the midst of difficult times. While it is easy to say, "Yes, Lord," when life is going smoothly, I want to know that when the troubled times hit, my faith in you will remain strong and unwavering. Thank you, Father God, for your deep love and compassion for us - for me. I know that you can see into my heart and love me because of what is there and in spite of what is there. Lord, I would ask that you continue to create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.