To find a particular object one must go in a definite direction and upon a particular way. Go north when the object is south of the place where you are, and you will not reach that object. And the same is true about things spiritual. Therefore the psalmist in Psalm 119:10 writes, "With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments."
Two truths are evident here: We must seek God with our whole heart; and if we wander from His commandments, we are not going to find Him and enjoy His covenant fellowship. Wander the slightest bit from one of His commandments and we are going away from God, for we are going in the wrong direction.
Consider once that if on a stretch of highway you drive your automobile only one inch toward the lane of the oncoming traffic, and keep that up for a few minutes, you are headed for a head-on collision. Even more so, if we wander for just one moment from one of God's commandments, we are on a collision course with the almighty, holy God. And instead of finding Him in His love and mercy, we will have Him find us in His holy wrath. For that law is a very, very narrow path.
Therefore it is essential that we seek God with our whole heart, that is, constantly, by walking in His commandments which call us to love God.
Listen to the versification of the psalmists words:
Sincerely I have sought Thee, Lord,
O let me not from Thee depart;
To know Thy will and keep from sin
Thy word I cherish in my heart.
In order to keep on the path that leads to God's fellowship, and the assurance of His love, our hearts must be directed to God. That steering wheel in your automobile will determine the direction in which you go. Your heart will determine the spiritual direction of your whole being.
Seeking God sincerely, seeking Him in His Son Who fulfilled that law for us, you will find His love. Beware, therefore, of wandering, and pray with the psalmist that God may keep you walking where you may know and enjoy God's love.
Read: Isaiah 55
Psalter versification: 322:2
(Words and Music of the Psalter)
Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Joshua 16 ; Joshua 17 ; Joshua 18
Luke 19:1-27
Psalm 87:1-7
Proverbs 13:11
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Quote for Reflection:
It is above all by faith in Christ that believers are enabled—in spite of all the riddles that perplex them—to cling to the conviction that the God who rules the world is the same loving and compassionate Father who in Christ forgave them all their sins, accepted them as his children, and will bequeath to them eternal blessedness. In that case faith in God’s providence is no illusion, but secure and certain; it rests on the revelation of God in Christ and carries within it the conviction that nature is subordinate and serviceable to grace, and the world to the kingdom of God. Thus, through all its tears and suffering, it looks forward with joy to the future. Although the riddles are not resolved, faith in God’s fatherly hand always again arises from the depths and even enables us to boast in afflictions. (Herman Bavinck)
Additional Info
- Date: 18-April
