Corona Devo 171

Are you feeling the Lord grasp your hand to pull you to safety?  Or to a better situation, or to a new job, school, or home?  Is God leading us into something new, but we are reluctant to go?

Why do we become entrenched (or paralyzed) in our routines of life--even when they are negative, stale, or (possibly) detrimental to our well-being? 

Change is hard.  I think that we can all agree to that.  But if God is initiating the change in our lives, it will bring life.  When God "grasps our hand" in leading us somewhere, it is never a dead-end.

But it takes faith to leave, doesn't it?  It takes trust in God to walk away from what is comfortable, even if we have become comfortable with negative things.  It seems illogical to think that we would purposely stay in an unfavorable relationship or situation, but haven't we all been there?  Are you currently there?  It is hard to walk away, because even a dysfunctional situation can somehow become "normal" if you are in it for long enough.  And the fear of beginning something new is real.

But perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18), and God loves us perfectly, and He loves us enough to lead us out of the less and bring us into the more.

Do you feel the Lord grasping your hand?  He will lead us safely, but we must let Him lead.

In the Bible, Lot was Abraham's nephew, and Lot was living in a bad city.  In fact, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were SO BAD that God said “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant." (Genesis 18:20).

And Lot knew that these cities were bad too.  He had lived among the sin with his wife, his daughters and their fiancés.  But when God sent angels to warn Lot and remove him from these cities before the Lord brought their destruction (that's how bad these cities were!), Lot delayed.  Lot lingered, and Lot was reluctant to leave.  Even though he knew that it was time to move into a better situation.

Why do we stay?

Perhaps God is giving you a message and "grasping your hand" today: it's time to move.  It's time to stop delaying.  It's time to stop lingering and it's time to stop being reluctant.  We can trust him in moving out of the old and into the new.

12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”

16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”  ~Genesis 19:12-17

Lot's future sons-in-laws laughed at him.  People will laugh when we make decisions that are contrary to our comfort or that go-against the ways of the world.  Stepping out of comfort zones is not the norm because it is not easy.  But God is not concerned with easy, He is concerned with our obedience and He only calls us to what is best for us.

It was not easy for Lot to leave, but it saved the lives of himself and his family.  

I also like that we can relate to Lot.  He didn't preach a sermon and quote Bible verses on his way out of Sodom and Gomorrah.  No, he pretty much had to be pulled out by the hand of angels.  He needed a nudge and some heavenly help.

We do too.  And God uses people just like us.  Lot was unsure, afraid, and he was reluctant.  But God brought him out of a negative situation because Lot had the door cracked for it to happen.  That's all God needs.  If we give Him any slice of us, He will meet us there and make it work for our good.

If it is time for you to move into something new, may you be open to God's calling and His grasp on your hands as He leads you safely out of the city.

He loves us enough to lead us out of the less and bring us into the more.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com 

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