PSALM 119:10
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
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, composed in 1757 by 22-year-old Robert Robinson, is one of my favourite classic hymns. There is a line in the hymn’s lyrics that always catches my attention and compels me to reflect on myself. “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,” the line reads. Prone to abandoning the God I adore. I experience that occasionally. Instead of having my heart and thoughts focused on the Saviour who loves me and offered Himself for me, I far too frequently find myself sidetracked and drifting. I am not alone in this, neither is Robert Robinson.
In those times of wandering, our hearts do not choose to move away from God, but, like Paul, we frequently do what we do not desire (Romans 7:19), and we urgently need to return to the Shepherd of our souls who is able to lead us to Himself. In his great anthem to the Scriptures (Psalm 119), David also acknowledged this difficulty. He admits that he prayed and sought God with all of his heart, being careful not to stray from His precepts. (v.10)
The distractions of life might occasionally pull us away from God and His Word, even while our hearts want to seek Him. How appreciative we can be of a patient, kind, heavenly Father, whose mercy is always sufficient, even though we are prone to stray!
🙏🏼Our tendency to wander is matched by Your willingness to pursue. Thank You Lord Jesus.
