The word “wanderlust” popped into my mind one day as I prayed. I don’t think I’ve ever even thought about that word!
It’s from the German: wander – to stray and lust – to desire. The desire to stray. My mind hearkened to an old hymn from 1758: “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”:
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love.
Take my heart, oh, take and seal it.
With Thy Spirit from above.”
The Bible addresses the real human condition. We are distracted easily. The world is full of glittery diversions. Not all are sinful. But if we look, then dabble, then engage, we can find ourselves wandering. We are prone to stray from God’s path.
Isaiah 53:6: “All we, like sheep, have gone astray…” Jesus referenced this in a Luke 15 parable.
The sheep got curious and distracted, wandering from the safety and security of the fold and far from the Shepherd’s voice.
Wandering begins in our thoughts and desires. We may feel unsettled and restless with our lives. Many marriages perish as a result. Many who once were totally identified by their relationship with Jesus and their service and devotion to Him are now mere memories. They succumbed to wanderlust and are far away.
God’s Word speaks:
Psalm 119:10: “With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.”
Hebrews 2:1: “…we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away.”
Psalm 16:8: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord… I will not be shaken.”
That’s the key! My focus must always, and only, be on God. He fills the landscape of my desires. He’s more than enough. No need to wander. I’m home.
~ Vickie Richey
Christ Fellowship