Bind My Wandering Heart to Thee

"Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above." -Robert Robinson

My heart has a tendency to wander.  It has a tendency to fixate on the things it wants or thinks it wants. My heart gets impatient when my days all start to blur together.
These are the moments I feel it the most; the disconnect between my wandering heart and God. As the song says, “Prone to wander, prone to leave.”  It leads me to the question of why.  Why do I long for God with all my heart and soul, yet still face times where all my heart wants to do is wander?  I am then lead to Romans 7:15, and it resonates so deeply within my soul that it shakes my bones:

I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. (Romans 7:15 NLV) 

Yes, I long to do what is right and yes, my heart still wanders despite my good intentions.  It is the battle between flesh and spirit as the Bible describes:

For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. (Galatians 5:17 NIV)

The definition of “bind” is to tie or fasten (something) tightly.

I believe the main reason our hearts tend to wander is because they go where our minds go.

I believe one of the most important things I can teach you is that your thoughts are powerful and they will actually determine your future. Have you heard the saying, 'It's all in your mind'? Well, that's exactly where our successes and victories begin. You can think yourself into a mess or you can think yourself into a place of victory. -Joyce Meyer                                                                                                                

Take notice of when your heart tends to wander. Is it during a movie or song? Is it while you are daydreaming? Is it in memories that you are reliving? Is it while you are scanning social media? Are you desiring what others have?

Below, you will find a few ways to bind our wandering hearts to God:

• Mediate on God’s word and promises.  Through meditating on God’s word and promises, we can stay focused and be reminded of His goodness. God's goodness gives us the motivation we need to keep going. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. (Deuteronomy 11:18 NIV)

• Fix your eyes on God always.  To “fix” your eyes means that you, “direct your eyes, attention, and mind steadily or unwaveringly toward.” He is your focal point.

• Renew and recommit your mind and heart to God daily.  It is a daily recommitment, not a one-time thing.

• Respond to God through thanksgiving. “The more you praise God for His goodness, the more you will see it manifested in your life. That’s the hidden power of praise.”-Stormie Omartian

The most beautiful thing about God is that He always draws our hearts back to Him. Nothing will ever seem as right as when our hearts are firmly rooted in Him. This is because we belong to our Creator. 

We wander because we feel we can find better.  We wander because we are never satisfied.  We wander because we are walking out our flesh instead of our spirit.  But the reoccurring outcome we always find at the end of our wandering is this: God is enough. God is everything and without Him we have nothing. Outside of Him everything else fades.

I want to leave you with the last few verses of the hymn I opened with. I pray that no matter where you may be at in your life right now, you run back to God with all you have.

"O that day when freed from sinning,

I shall see Thy lovely face;

Clothed then in blood washed linen

How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,

Take my ransomed soul away;

Send thine angels now to carry

Me to realms of endless day." 

About the Author :

Leilani is a single mom to a beautiful 4 year old little girl. She is in love with the Creator of the stars. Her mission is simple yet so big, to encourage and bring Jesus to all in need. To bring hope by loving people, writing, photography, music, poetry/spoken word and meeting people right where they are. God's Grace is her air.