We’ve had all fourteen of our grandchildren with us recently, for our son’s wedding. As a grandparent, it’s easier at my age to see perspective on each of these children.
They all wander. Some more than others. But, given enough time, all of them will stray to their own interests. You can be leading them toward something and, if you’re not careful, turn around and discover you are taking a walk by yourself.
We’re all like this, Isaiah says.
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way (Isaiah 53:6 NASB).
The tragedy of our wandering is that we are walking away from God—His design, His plan, His side. And we lose intimacy with Him. When we’ve lost that, we have lost everything that matters and lasts.
The Cause of Our Wandering
The Bible talks about all the things that lead us away from the “simplicity and purity of devotion” to Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 11:3). The deceitfulness of riches, the love of other things, the allure of this world, the lusts of our flesh, the love of self … it doesn’t take much to divert our gaze from Jesus.
And it is an incessant pull. Satan sees to that.
You can look up one day and find that Christ is so far down the path you can hardly see Him anymore. This is when life gets stale, unproductive, meaningless; when we start making immature, foolish mistakes; when our life loses vibrancy; when we realize that all our spiritual activity has been just that—nothing driven from fresh experiences with Jesus.
The Return
So, how do you catch up to Christ?
… by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Isaiah 53:5-6).
Run to Him, realizing He has done all to cleanse you. He has taken the punishment for your wandering. And He will cleanse you and bring you back to His side if you admit your wandering and repent (turn around). This is the heart of a revived life.
He is a Father who understands your wandering and is intensely interested in helping you stay close. He will quickly welcome a returning son or daughter to His side.