Wandering Heart – Proverbs 27:8
Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home.
We are not as disoriented fledglings, who having wandered from the safety of their nests in curiosity or hunger, find themselves in dangerous places, alone, separated from their protector, easy prey to the circling vultures who wait in drooling anticipation to pounce upon the weak and vulnerable. For our compassionate and gracious Lord whose loving-kindness covers us[1] will not forsake us nor will He leave us alone in our folly. Rather, when we, having strayed, seek Him, He takes our shaking hands in His and calms our quivering hearts. He leads us home where His grace prevails and His provision abounds.[2] He lavishes blessings upon us, giving that which is of value to us beyond our dreams,[3] ensuring we suffer no lack of any good thing.[4]
Why then, when pressed, when disappointed, when discouraged, do we pass by the flowing fount of living waters to behave as slave laborers, hewing cisterns that cannot hold water?[5] Why do we abandon the safety and bountifulness of the Promised Land, shunning the provision of the Most High, to turn back into bondage, where in desperation to quench our thirst, we must kneel in the muck and drink from the filthy waters of a polluted river?[6]
Is it that we do not truly believe in God’s goodness and His faithfulness to care for us? Apparently, we do not. For if our hearts sang out for joy because of God’s enduring love for us and if we placed our hope on the everlasting Rock,[7] we would not so quickly stray from the path the Spirit lays before us. We would not run into hostile lands where the enemy roams, seeking to bring the wanderer into captivity.
Oh Father, we believe, help us in our unbelief. Fix our eyes on heaven and renew our desire for closer fellowship with our first love, Jesus Christ. Give us the understanding to know that real treasures, those worth possessing, are stored in heaven.[8] Give us wisdom, so we may comprehend that all things will pass away except faith, hope, and love, with love being the greatest of these.[9] Strengthen us, so we will resist the temptation to wander into forbidden territory, chasing after worthless things while taking ourselves out from under Your protection. Keep us, always and forever, on the pathway that leads to You, and allow us to remain safely within Your borders.
Why do I wander from Your care
Onto the road I shouldn’t dare
To tread, for surely pain awaits
The one who travels from Your gates
Why do I open up the heart,
That You have cleansed and set apart,
To idols from which I should flee
From which Your Love has set me free
Why do I turn off of the road
Into the enemy’s abode
Forgetting much that I have learned
Ignoring what my heart’s discerned
I know it is my unbelief
That leads me down this road of grief
I would be helpless were it not
But for a grace that foils the plot
Laid out that I might be disgraced
Had not my sins all been erased
Had not Your kindness rescued me
Had not You given sight to see
The hollowness of sin’s allure
That faith and hope and love endure
That by Your grace I may abide
And in Your holy place reside
[1] Nehemiah 9:17
[2] 2 Corinthians 9:8
[3] Proverbs 3:6-10
[4] Psalm 34:10
[5] Jeremiah 2:13
[6] Jeremiah 2:18
[7] Psalm 95:1
[8] Luke 12:33
[9] 1 Corinthians 13:8-13
