Learning From the Past

Psalm 106:6 We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of others are destined to repeat them. That saying, in various forms has stuck in my mind for quite some time. So long, that I don't even remember the first time I heard it. However, that phrase could easily be the theme of Psalm 106. Like the previous psalm, this one gives some history of the Jewish people, but unlike Psalm 105, it focuses on the people's rebellion rather than on God's providence.

We, as human beings are prone to forget, and because of that forgetfulness we are also prone to wander from Him and His leading. As I was thinking about this concept the song "Prone to Wander" by Chris Rice came to mind. Some of the lyrics are as follows.

How can I be so prone to wander
So prone to leave You
So prone to die
And how can You be so full of mercy
You race to meet me and bring be back to life

As I was searching for those lyrics, I found the lyrics from a more familiar song which go:

O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness 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 Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above

I don't like wandering because I usually wander to places I should not be. If you feel the same way, the best way to keep from wandering is to learn from past mistakes; those of others, and those of ourselves.