Prone to Wander

A friend recently called with her two children. We walked to a local park. Before we talked, she instructed her brood ‘not to wander off’. As we crossed into the next field, we could barely see them so far had they run. She was annoyed; I was amused.

In Psalm 56, David reflects upon his enemies’ successes and his own failings. In verse 8 he notes:

You number my wanderings;

Put my tears into Your bottle;

Are they not in Your book?

The psalmist in 119 (verse 10) declares:

With my whole heart I have sought You;

Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

Not only have we wandered, but we are prone to wander. I thank God that my natural disposition to wander off is exceeded by my Shepherd’s desire to keep bringing me back. This, and this alone, is why I have not backslidden, and returned to wallowing in the mud.