Thank God today for being available 24/7. He never sleeps or goes on vacation, so you can never interrupt him! Take time and chat today.

This week’s devotional topic is a stretch for me to write for several reasons, not the least of which is that I am not a husband. How can I begin to write with authority about men? When I did a word search for “husband” on BibleGateway.com, I came across a passage in Numbers 5 about how to test allegations of adultery that reminded me more of the Bene Gesserit “Water of Life” test in Dune than something that we would actually implement in this day and age. Now, don’t take that to mean that I find the Old Testament irrelevant, because I don’t—it is just challenging to me sometimes to understand how to apply timeless Biblical principles in a culturally meaningful way.

One thing we need to remember when we read the Old Testament is the different sort of relationship that God had with his people before Jesus walked the Earth. From the edict in the Garden of Eden not to eat from one particular tree to the 10 Commandments issued to Moses to the litany of dos and don’ts by the prophets, the Old Testament is very rule-oriented. God had a covenant (an agreement, a promise) with his people and gave them chance after chance to obey, but they consistently disobeyed. (That part still sounds familiar today, doesn’t it?)

In Jeremiah 3, for example, God describes the people’s idolatry as a form of adultery. Ah, so the Old Testament isn’t just about rule-following, but the Lord is trying to make a connection between how we treat each other and how we relate to him. His desire for his people was so intimately personal that when the people strayed, God felt deceived. The rules were set into place so that the people would recognize their sin and turn to God.

The book of Hebrews in the New Testament refers to Jesus as the go-between of a new covenant—a new type of relationship—with the Lord. The law that used to bind and condemn us was fulfilled in Christ (John 3:17, Romans 8: 1-4). How wonderful it is that we no longer have a merely rule-based bond with God, but because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, we can know God lovingly, as we would nurture an intimate relationship with a spouse. Let’s focus on getting to know him better during our prayer time this week.

There’s no sense looking back to the past, unless it directs our steps closer to the Lord, going forward. One step at a time. Be purposeful.

Think of something that’s “going wrong” in your life right now. How can you turn it around into a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord?

Abraham struggled with the Lord’s decision. Have you ever challenged God? He is good, all the time, no matter how our circumstances seem.

Like Lot and his family, sometimes we just have to learn the hard way. Thank God for the hard knocks that you’ve had, and don’t repeat them.

Lot’s story doesn’t end with the dramatic rescue in Genesis 19. More bad decisions await them. Ask God to keep your heart turned toward him.

Think back to a time when God rescued you. Sometimes our own choices get us into a bind. God is so good! Thank him today for his mercy.

Have you been dwelling on something in your past? We all have regrets. Let’s offer them to the Lord today and don’t look back on them again.

I reckon that most people have heard the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (from Genesis 19), at least in the context that the residents were so depraved and immoral that God destroyed the cities with fire-rain. God’s punishment didn’t happen on a whim, however. Abraham had already bargained (haggled, is more like it) with God to spare the cities if 50 … 45 … 40 … 30 … 20 … even if only 10 righteous people could be found. For a mere 10 people out of the whole metroplex, the Lord agreed to cancel the demolition.

As it turned out, Abraham’s nephew, Lot, may have been the only remotely righteous person in town. He did offer hospitality and protection to the pair of angels who came to investigate the city (but then offered to give his two virginal daughters to the angry mob outside of his house, before the angels intervened). The angels still spared Lot, his wife and his two daughters and ushered them out of town before the downpour began.

Despite the angels’ warning (Flee! Run! Don’t stop! Don’t look back!), Lot’s wife looked back, anyway. Scripture says that she was turned into a pillar of salt, but Lot and his daughters made it to safety. We women tend to become emotionally attached to sentimental things, places and people, don’t we? Regardless of how awful their hometown had to have been, perhaps Lot’s wife was thinking of her daughters’ births, moments from their childhood, their first home … and she looked back as the city went up in flames. In doing so, she turned her back on God’s plan to rescue her.

The next morning, Abraham woke up and returned to the holy place where he had encountered the Lord’s presence just days before (Gen. 19: 27-29). He looked across the landscape toward Sodom and Gomorrah and witnessed the smoldering evidence of God’s wrath. Abraham wasn’t turned into a pillar of salt for looking toward the cities. I wonder if the reason is because he acknowledged Almighty God (by returning to the place where they had spoken) and the merciful goodness that he showed by sparing Lot’s life.

Instead of looking toward the cities longingly, like perhaps Lot’s wife had done, I imagine that Abraham looked that direction with a deeper understanding of God’s purpose for his life. The past is over; there is no changing it. Looking back can only serve two purposes, in my humble opinion: 1) to dwell on what could’ve/should’ve/would’ve been, or 2) to remember how God delivered you and trust him as you move forward. Let us not turn our back on God’s rescue plan. Let us run full-force into his welcoming arms with no regrets!