Hanging on when God says to let go often represents a significant part of our spiritual journey. Before returning to school to become a pastor, I spent twelve years in a completely different profession. To follow the direction the Lord was leading me, my wife and I had to let go of our jobs and the financial security we had previously enjoyed. Only with the Lord’s strength were we able to move forward with His calling, which would transform not only us but also our three small children.
Throughout our ministry career, the Lord has taught us to hold onto things loosely, which is easier said than done. I am living proof that the words of Jesus are wonderful words of wisdom. Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. [1]
Lot and His Family Were Instructed to Leave Sodom
Two angels came to Sodom to warn Lot of the impending destruction of the wicked city he had come to love. Yet, it seemed difficult for Lot and his family to leave. The worldliness of Sodom, like that of wicked cities today, has a sinful attraction. The angels had come in the evening and stayed at Lot’s home, and the next morning, they insisted that they hurry and leave the city before it was destroyed. But what was Lot’s response to this urgency?
Genesis 19:16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful.[2] As the angels ushered Lot out of the city, he continued to stall, saying he could not flee to the mountains they had directed him to.
Lot told the angels he could only travel as far as the small village of Zoar, and they agreed. When Lot and his family arrived in Zoar, the angels destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. The angels had warned them as they fled not to look back, which was symbolic of letting go of their former lives. Genesis 19:26 But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt. [3] The verb for her looking indicates a prolonged, intense gazing at the world she had grown to love.[4]
Letting Go is Learning to Trust God
Throughout life, the Lord teaches us that He can be trusted when we follow His word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Just as a child learns to walk by taking baby steps, walking by faith follows a similar process. God’s call to “let go” is not a punishment; it is an invitation to freedom. It is an act of divine love, clearing away what hinders our growth and prevents us from receiving His best.
When God says to let go, it is always for our good, our salvation, and our flourishing. The question for us today is: what are we hanging on to that God is urging us to release? Will we choose the path of obedience and freedom, or risk becoming stuck, like a pillar of salt, looking back at a life that God intended for us to leave behind? Let us choose to let go, trusting that God’s way is always the path to life.
To learn more about hanging on when God says to let go, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/divine-judgment-and-human-choices
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.
[4] Ross, A., & Oswalt, J. N. (2008). Cornerstone biblical commentary: Genesis, Exodus (Vol. 1, p. 130). Tyndale House Publishers.