I Seek You, Let Me Not Wander - Psalm 119:10
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
-Psalm 119:10
Here is an unvarnished truth that we most readily recognize and accept without reservation: we do not hold ourselves to Christ, or in Christ. We are utterly dependent upon his loving mercy to maintain our joining to him. Jesus says in John 10:28-29, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.” Observe two things: (1) We are given eternal life by Christ, whom we have been given to by the Father. We are in no way involved with this arrangement. (2) Having been given to Christ we cannot be lost from his hand. In fact, we are in the hand of Christ, and he is in the hands of the Father! What blessed truth to ponder! As David pleads with God, “let me not wander…” (Psalm 119:10) we must, at the outset, recognize that it is the Lord's good pleasure to bind us to himself or to loose us for a time in wilderness.
However, true this is, let it not detract from what is our duty and delight. It is our duty to seek the Lord. He has told us to, “seek first his kingdom,” (Matthew 6:33) and in this, we find our command in life. We are shown what we ought to be striving after first and foremost which will properly order everything else in our lives.1 Furthermore, we are compelled by James to draw near to God, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). This is James’ way of telling his audience to seek the Lord. Our duty is to draw near to him in obedience and to have our hearts and minds fixed upon the Lord. We must have blinders on - as it were - with our gaze upon his throne. It is also our delight to seek the Lord. David extols the excellency of going to the Lord’s house to worship him with the congregation saying, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD!’" (Psalm 122:1). It is not only in times of joyous exclamation that we are delighted to seek the Lord, but we also see how delightful it is to seek the Lord when we are in turmoil ourselves. Psalm 63:1-5 says:
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.
Seek the Lord at all times, let his commandments lead you, and know that he holds you fast to himself.
1. This is such a precious and oft forgotten truth. We may walk aimlessly or in turmoil or worry for days and months not knowing why, and in all it is because we have made friends with this world, and forsaken our chief pursuit. Pursue first his kingdom and then all these things will be added to you. God is faithful to his faithful people. Thankfully, when we are faithless he remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13).
