MAR. 14, 2014
Prone
To Wander
Read: Psalm
119:9-16
With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your
commandments! —Psalm
119:10
One of my favorite
classic hymns is “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” which was written in
1757 by 22-year-old Robert Robinson. In the hymn’s lyrics is a line that always
captures my attention and forces me to do some self-evaluation. The line says,
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” I feel that
way sometimes. Too often I find myself distracted and drifting, instead of having
my heart and mind focused on the Savior who loves me and gave Himself for me.
Robert Robinson and I are not alone in this.
In those seasons of
wandering, our heart of hearts doesn’t want to drift from God—but, like Paul,
we often do what we don’t want to do (Rom. 7:19), and we desperately need to
turn back to the Shepherd of our heart who can draw us to Himself. David wrote
of this struggle in His great anthem to the scriptures, Psalm 119, saying,
“With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your
commandments!” (v.10).
Sometimes, even when
our hearts long to seek God, the distractions of life can draw us away from Him
and His Word. How grateful we can be for a patient, compassionate heavenly
Father whose grace is always sufficient—even when we are prone to wander!
Prone to wander, Lord,
I feel it,
Prone to leave the God
I love;
Here’s my heart, O
take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts
above. —Robinson
Our tendency to wander
is matched by God’s willingness to pursue.
Insight
Although high-tech
media has multiplied the ways we can be tempted, the issues of the heart remain
the same. The question of how we can keep ourselves pure is still related to
the Word of God. Our minds are to become preoccupied with scripture (v.9).
Committing the Word to memory makes it accessible in all circumstances (v.11).
By meditating on scripture, we discover its meaning and how to apply spiritual
principles (v.15). In addition, sharing with others what we learn can edify
them.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
