Psalm 119:59–60
I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
In the parable of the prodigal son, perhaps the most telling phrase is that after he had made his mistakes, gone his way, and squandered his fortune, the young man “came to himself.”179 Every one of us needs to “come to ourselves.” We need to “think on our ways” and correct these ways in the process. Like the prodigal son, we need to “[turn our] feet unto [our] testimonies.” We need to make haste to come back—to come back to our Father, to come back to our family, to come back to our future, to come back to our faith.
In a similar vein, Lehi’s plea to his wayward sons may well apply to all of us: “Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.”180 We need to wake up to the consequences of our actions and recognize where we may be going wrong.
It is interesting that one of Satan’s greatest ploys is to keep us from “thinking on our ways.” He wants to keep us busy with games or hobbies or preoccupations or worries or economics. There are plenty of things to occupy our minds and divert our thoughts, but some portion of our day (and indeed this may lead to the salvation of our whole life) ought to be devoted to “thinking on our ways.”
Then, with haste and conviction, we should turn our feet toward God. He is loving. He is waiting for us. His arms are extended. But He will not force or turn our feet. We must do that. Chances are we will never feel inclined to do so unless we think upon our ways in some period of self-examination and self-assessment. Don’t delay. Make haste.
Notes