“O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
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.”

(from “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing)

We sing the song often and yet we truly need to let the words fall fresh on our wandering hearts, for we all are prone to do some wandering.

Hard seasons can be difficult and painful, causing us to doubt God and ask questions we hide from those around us. When we are raised in the church, it is uncomfortable to verbalize our questions aloud.

In her book, For All Who Wander, Robin Dance brings the reminder it is OK to go to God with our questions, doubts, and struggles. Our wandering may not necessarily be a bad thing, but the very means by which our relationship with God is strengthened.

Robin Dance shares her stories with a genuineness which had me nodding in agreement for she expresses thoughts and experiences we all commonly share. Each personal story is connected to Scripture which provide insight and understanding as to how God works and weaves His purposes through all things.

“God’s sovereignty is unpredictable. We must always trust Him even when we don’t understand.” (Tony Evans as quoted on page 67)

The book is filled with wonderful analogies helping us to understand some circumstances are not in our control and they come uninvited.

“All of is face our share of mountains, valleys, peaks, and ordinary days. Each one is formative in life and faith, uniquely significant and equally valuable. We’re shaped by the circumstances, pressures, and influences around us. To try and resist this reality is futile. Change is inevitable. We might as well embrace it.”
(from page 68)

Through every season of change, we can grow. We may not be able to understand or make sense of the changes. But God is there, in the midst of it all, and remains faithful even when we do not.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4, NLT)

These struggles, times filled with questions, and wandering are the very times where we develop endurance. We gain strength for the journey and the ability to keep on going until we get to the other side.

The book is wonderfully encouraging, bringing the reminder …

No matter where we may wander,
we never wander alone.
God is always with us.

The book also has a journey guide to help you on your own faith journey. This guide is designed for five weeks and each chapter is broken down into four sections:

1. Read. Here you’ll find Scriptures corresponding to the book which will point you to God.
2. Reflect. These are thought provoking questions to get you thinking about your own experiences.
3. Resolve. Here you find a spiritual application to help you understand how God is working in your life currently.
4. Pray. In this section, we are encouraged to invite God into our journey, and to reveal more of Himself.

This journey guide is perfect to do alone, with a small group, or with a book club.

**I was provided a copy of each book by Baker Publishing Group.  All opinions are honest and my own.  This post contains affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small percent at no additional cost to you.

Today I am joining … Heart Encouragement and Let’s Have Coffee and Booknificent Thursday .