“With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments!” (Psalm 119:10)

“Stay close to shore and make sure y’all don’t go too far. Y’all see that boat out there by those buoys? If you start getting too close to ‘em, you’re too far out.”

The instructions were clear, but my eighteen year old mind was on the water. 

Yeah yeah I got it. Don’t go too far. Look for the boat. Come back if it’s too close. Okay.

I was on a beach trip with my best friend and her family, and as soon as her Dad set the ground rules and gave us the green light, we darted to the open sea. 

The sun on my face. The water on my skin. The laughter in my ears. I closed my eyes and began floating on the water. Everything was perfect.

Until the laughter grew quieter. 

When I opened my eyes and looked around, I saw a large white boat.

When did the boat come in closer to shore?

Then it hit me.

I whipped my head around towards the shore, and that’s when I saw my friend’s Dad frantically waving at me to come back. He looked about the size of an ant from where I was. 

Suddenly aware that my feet couldn’t feel the sand under me, panic started setting in.

I knew how to swim, but I was no Michael Phelps. And because I was so scared, I felt frozen in the water. At that point, only two things were on my mind: Pray & Float.

God, please let the waves carry me safely back to shore.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly floated to safety. 

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When I think about that day now, I’m reminded that just as easily as I wandered from shore, so too can our hearts easily wander from our Heavenly Father.

Because if we’re honest, how many times does God give us clear instructions, but our hearts are set on what we want instead? (James 1:14-15).

I’d heard the instructions not to travel too far from shore, but I was so focused on what I wanted that it pretty much went in one ear and out the other. And once I got in the water, those instructions vanished from my mind, until I realized the danger I was in.

Some may wonder…how did she not realize she was wandering so far off from shore? But it was easy. I wasn’t paying attention, so I didn’t notice how much I was drifting little by little. And the same is with us –

Drifting away from our Father often happens slowly. A decision here. A compromise there. 

When we’re not abiding in Him, the drift happens a lot easier than we think (Psalm 119:10). Before long, we look up one day and think how did I get here? And the reality is, the farther we are God, the harder it is to see and hear Him clearly.

If we’re honest though, part of the struggle is dealing with thoughts like –

And if we allow them, those thoughts will keep us from repenting and turning away from the sin and decisions that caused the drift in the first place. Those thoughts will keep us from turning back to God – which is exactly what the enemy wants.

But here’s what comforts me, sis. 

• “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
• God’s grace is abundant, and His mercies are new every morning (Romans 5:20-21; Lamentations 3:22-23).
• There is no condemnation for those of us in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Every time I envision my friend’s Dad waving at me to come back to shore, I’m reminded that when our hearts do wander from the Father, we can be confident that He’s waiting for us with open arms to come back home (Luke 15:11-32). 

And although God’s love, grace, and mercy isn’t a green light to continue in sin or in ways that grieve God (Romans 6:1-4), when we do miss the mark, we can rest in this truth:

God loves us, and He wants us to return to the safety of His arms – no matter how far we’ve gone, what we’ve done, or how long we’ve been away from Him.

Recap

It’s easy for our hearts to wander from God when we’re not abiding in Him. But if we look up one day and realize that our hearts are far from God, we can be confident that He’s waiting for us with open arms to come back home – no matter how far we’ve gone, what we’ve done, or how long we’ve been away from Him. 

Reflect

1. Have you drifted away from God recently? If so, take time to think about what led to the drift, along with the areas God is looking for your repentance. 
2. Set aside time this week to take inventory of your heart.

Resources

Here’s two songs that always encourage me to abide in Jesus. I pray they encourage you too!