Prone to wander…Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, Lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. (Come Thou Fount)
This may be the most frustrating part of my personal walk with the Lord… how often I am prone to wander. I can be on fire and then not. I can be so into the Word and then not. I can be so loving and compassionate toward others and then not. On and on it goes.
I can always tell when I am on the verge of wandering. 15 extra minutes of sleep seems so much more important than some alone time with the Lord. I sit at the computer staring at a blank screen and realize I have nothing even remotely devotional to say. I am suddenly annoyed by people whom I normally adore. They are all signs that my heart is drifting.
I try and muster up enough determination to get back on track, but it can be difficult. This week, for instance, I have just been tired. I have read my Bible every day, but nothing seems to be sinking through the madness of work responsibilities, home responsibilities, birthday party planning, church events, etc. There is so much going on around me, that I can’t seem to find my way back to that spot where I was in such sweet fellowship with the Lord.
Then, this morning, I came across this verse…
And should I wander off like a lost sheep—seek me!
I’ll recognize the sound of your voice. – Psalm 119:176 The Message
What do you do when your prone to wander heart has taken to wandering?
Stay put and let the Lord seek you. As a child, I was taught what to do when I was lost. I’m sure we were all taught the same thing. You stay where you are until the person responsible comes back. It makes sense really. If you continue to wander while someone continues to look for you your paths may never cross. Somebody has to be still. It occurred to me, this morning, that this rule also applies when our hearts have wandered. Now, please do not hear me say that God does not know where you are. That is obviously not true. However, I think there are times when God is saying 'Stay where you are. Let Me come to you.' Sometimes, we don’t know exactly what has caused us to wander away. We’re not even sure if we have wandered away or if we’re just really tired. Or, like a wild animal in a net, sometimes the more we struggle to free ourselves the more tangled up we become. There comes a point where we just need to stop, be still, and wait for the Lord to give us direction.
Stay in the Word even when you’re wandering. When the Lord comes 
calling and leading you back to Him you want to be able to recognize His voice. In this world, where so many people and things are vying for our attention we need to be able to clearly know when it is His voice that is calling us.
Don’t be afraid or ashamed to call for help. Just because you are being still does not always mean you must be silent. If you know that you are not where you should be, call out to Him just like the psalmist 'Seek me, Lord!'
O to grace, how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be…Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee…(Come Thou Fount)
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Wow! I loved this. I love the old hymns and that's what first drew me to read more. I think I'm a big time wanderer. I think that sometimes we get so far off the path that we really do just have to stop and call out and wait on the Lord! I love the Footprints in the Sand poem. Sometimes, I get off the path with God and can look back and see my footprints so far away from His. Then I can see his approaching mine and feel Him carry me back onto the straight path with Him.
Thank you for this post. I never really considered feeling annoyed as a signal of wandering before. But now that you mention it, it TOTALLY is! Great insight.
Thank you so much for this post! I feel so far from the Lord right now. Farther then I have been in a long time. I am wandering all over the place! I am a college student and am having to make decisions about my future and it is just so up in the air. I know I should be praying and seeking Him now more than ever but just like you I am so tired and worn out. I fill my life with worldly duties and college life stuff. Its so hard to stay on track with all the other options that can consume my time. Your post is exactly what I needed to read. I stumbled upon your post because I was trying to find how to wear a belt for my body type. Ha. The Lord has a way of showing us things even when we are denying Him. Thanks Again.
I know that tired feeling well. That feeling of being overwhelmed by the demands of life. The fatigue that comes from not just our busy lives but by trying to live them on our terms and not God's. It is a wandering existence. What wisdom in just staying put and waiting on God instead of chasing something less!