Thou Tellest My Wanderings
Have you ever read a familiar passage and suddenly had a word or a phrase in it leap out in such a way that it affects you and catches your attention? That is what happened today with this verse:
Psalms 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
I don’t know how many times through the years I have thought of or referenced that verse to others, focussing specifically on the second part of it - put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? And truly, knowing the Lord our God sees every tear we cry, makes a note of them, and puts them in a bottle, storing them up for us is a tremendous comfort. Often we see those same tears being used to comfort and strengthen someone else down the road who finds themselves going through that Vale of Tears, that Valley of Weeping spoken of in Psalm 84.
Psalms 84:6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
But today I noticed the first phrase, like I was seeing it for the very first time:
Thou tellest my wanderings… are they not in thy book?
It is not just our tears God sees and writes in His book, it is our wanderings.
There are many times we wander in our spiritual lives - sometimes because of sins in our lives, sometimes because of pruning or trials, sometimes because of a broken heart. The passage does not specify what type of wandering so I think it is safe to say that our Heavenly Father sees all of our wanderings, good and bad.
Tellest is Strong’s #5608, and means “properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate: — commune, (ac-)count; declare, number, + penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.”
God sees all that we are going through, makes note of all our wanderings, and like a scribe keeps track of them. What we are going through matters to Him.
In the last year and 1/2 or so, I’ve had the opportunity to lead and study through the book of Revelation twice with an online Bible study group and one theme that came up multiple times was Israel being scattered and fleeing to the wilderness, then we studied through Genesis, and the wilderness came up multiple times in it. I was intrigued and blessed by tracing that theme throughout the whole Bible.
Whether good or bad, we all face wilderness times in our lives, and we see that God’s people faced them as well, from Genesis to Revelation, from Hagar fleeing the anger of Sarai to the remnant of Israel fleeing from the wrath of the Antichrist during the tribulation period.
In all of these situations, God was watching over them and bringing them through their wildernesses, leading them, and teaching them something tangible about His care for them. Whether for correction or for comfort, for protection or for pruning, from trials to trust, He was with them all the way.
Consider the following examples of the Lord’s care for His people in their wilderness wanderings:
1) The Old Testament believers who were walking by faith and staying true to the Lord many times found themselves scattered and tried, wandering about in deserts and caves. It is interesting to note that many believers in the church age also faced persecution, and at times literally hid out in caves and catacombs, hiding out in the mountains and the wilderness because the Catholic church (and yeah, sometimes even the Reformation leaders) was seeking to wipe them out throughout history. Yet God saw all these wanderings and noted it in His book. Hebrews 11:32-38.
2) Abraham was called to leave the land he grew up in and follow the Lord to the Promised Land, the land of Canaan. He didn’t know where he was being led to, but the Lord knew, and Abraham was content to follow. Hebrews 11:8-10.
3) Hagar learning how the Lord sees her. The Angel of the Lord makes a covenant with her and Ishmael. He showed His care for her by providing water for her and Ishmael, and protecting them. In that encounter with the Lord, Hagar learned that He is the God that sees us. Genesis 16:7-14; 21:14-21.
4) Joseph, in obedience to his father, went to check on his older brothers. He was walking in the will of God and yet he faced his own wilderness. Genesis 37:22. Though the Lord his God was with him and prospered all that he did, it was a hard road he was travelling on, and it would be 22 long years before he ever saw his family again.
5) The whole nation of Israel spent forty years wandering in the wilderness as a chastisement for their rebellion and murmurings against the Lord. Even though the majority of that generation (except the women, children, and the Levites) perished during their wanderings, they still saw the Lord protect and provide every single day of their journey. Deuteronomy 8:15-16.
6) David literally spent about 1/3 of his life before he became king fleeing from King Saul in the wilderness. An ongoing trial where his life was hanging by a thread over and over, but throughout all those years the Lord proved Himself faithful and took care of the man after His own heart. 1 Samuel 23:14-26, 29; 24:1-2; 25:1; 26:2-3.
7) Jesus spent His time in the wilderness - 40 days of hunger, being tempted by the Devil, at the weakest point of His life until then. Then afterwards the angels came and ministered unto Him, just like they would strengthen Him in the Garden of Gethsemane just three years later. Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 22:39-45.
8) The remnant of Israel will find themselves fleeing in the wilderness from the forces of the Antichrist. Somewhere in that same wilderness, they will meet the Lord Jesus Christ face to face, and will be gloriously saved, though 2/3 of the nation of Israel will have perished during those tough years, primarily the rebels who refused to humble themselves and trust in Christ. Revelation 12:6, 13-17; Ezekiel 20:33-38; Song of Solomon 2:9-14.
While all these passages dealt with literal wildernesses, we will find many spiritual wildernesses along the way. There are so many reasons we may go through our own times of wanderings, but I find this one spiritual truth so comforting:
The Lord Jesus Christ has already gone through anything His brethren could or will ever face. Just as He is our pattern or example to follow, He never calls us to go where He has never gone or suffer what He has never suffered.
Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
In the Song of Songs, Solomon is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider the following passages:
Song of Songs 3:6 Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?
Here we see Jesus (pictured as Solomon) coming out of the wilderness, coming out of a time of wandering, a time of trial.
But in the same Song we also see this blessed truth:
Song of Songs 8:5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.
Jesus went through the same spiritual wilderness every child of God may some day go through - and He went through it first!
Notice also that the believer in the Song (the Shulamite) came up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved. The only way we will be able to come out of our wildernesses, stronger than before, is if we come out leaning upon the Lord.
Whether it be a time of chastisement that brings us back to the Lord:
Hosea 2:14-15 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
A time of spiritual dryness, where we cry out in thirst to our Heavenly Father:
Isaiah 41:17-18 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
Or a time of joy and closeness, a time spent away from the hustle and bustle of the world and spent alone with our Saviour (see Song of Songs 2:10):
Jeremiah 2:2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
The Lord is with us through all our trials, through all our triumphs, through all our defeats, through all our victories. He has promised never to leave us, nor forsake us. He is with us always - and He sees all our tears, He keeps a record of all our wanderings.
Psalms 63:1 A PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN HE WAS IN THE WILDERNESS OF JUDAH.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
In fact, if you are a child of God, if there was a time and place in your life you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and trusted Him alone for salvation, then your time spent here serving the Lord is a time of wandering in this world - not necessarily in a wilderness - but our whole life spent down here we are wanderers.
1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
We are strangers and pilgrims. I love how Warren Wiersbe defined these terms in one of his books:
“Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), our names are written down in heaven (Luke 10:20), and we are “pilgrims” in this world (1 Pet. 1:1). A fugitive is running from home, a vagabond has no home, a stranger is away from home, but a pilgrim is heading home. This dual citizenship forces us to look at this world from the viewpoint of heaven.”
One interesting thing I learned on this theme months ago was that there are seven Old Testament passages that refer to God’s people as being strangers and pilgrims in the land of Canaan:
Genesis 17:8; 28:4; 36:7; 37:1; 47:9; Exodus 6:4; 1 Chronicles 16:18-19
Seven symbolically means perfection or completion. Whether someone was (or will be) part of the remnant of Israel or whether they are a true blood bought child of God during this church age, our complete spiritual lives are spent as pilgrims and strangers away from home. We are looking for and longing for our Heavenly home. It’s not just a place, it is a person - our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our home is in Him.
So until that day we find ourselves literally and physically dwelling in His presence, remember:
Psalms 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
God sees you, He knows you, your tears and your wanderings through this world are being written down in His book. Isn’t that a tremendous comfort and strength to you?
Thou God seest me –
You are the very God who sees
The beginning and the end;
Through all the trials I face in life,
Jesus, You are my greatest Friend.
Thou God seest me –
You don’t just see all my situations,
You truly know what’s in my heart;
And despite all life’s complications,
In wisdom, You know just where to start:
Thou God seest me –
You know my needs before I ask them;
You strengthen me when I am weak;
In my deepest times of sorrow,
You provide the comfort that I seek.
Thou God seest me –
I need never fear for my future –
You are already preparing the way;
As a Shepherd, You are guiding,
And my path shines bright as day.
Thou God seest me –
You loved me before I knew You;
You died for my sins and took my shame;
You became my Lord and Saviour,
When, in faith, I called upon Your name.
In my brightest or darkest situations,
From the beginning to the end You see –
You understand all I am going through,
Because Thou God seest me!
Poem written April 22nd, 2022
Study written August 20th, 2026
Jerry Bouey
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