“You number my wanderings;Put my tears into Your bottle;Are they not in Your book?”Psalms 56:8 NKJV

During my childhood days, one morning I woke up and stepped outside our compound. I saw people dressed very differently, speaking a language I did not understand, loud and wild, with rifles in their hands and animals they had hunted. That day I saw squirrels, bunnies, and rats hanging on a rope.

As a young girl, I was terrified to witness such a scene. But when I saw their young children, not properly clothed, running and playing around the corpses, I became less afraid. My father introduced them as gypsies.

A group of these families pitched their tents outside our gate for many months. The place where they camped carried a strong odor because of the blood and the burning of animals. I never saw any of them showered or looking clean. I later learned they were a highly discriminated people in society, often lacking the basic necessities—even a permanent shelter or bathroom. They wandered from place to place seeking food, safety, and a living.

One day, I saw them pack up their belongings and begin moving on foot to another place to pitch their tents. It was very sad to watch. They could not call any place their own, nor anyone truly their friend. Nothing was permanent. They wandered without rest.

Over time, things began to change in many parts of the state through government intervention—offering legal status, identity documents, education, and employment opportunities to some within these communities. Many who once wandered from place to place now have homes where they can dwell. (Historically, these people are often known as the Roma, an ethnic group that has faced centuries of discrimination across Europe and beyond.)

The Bible is a book of assurance that God knows your wanderings.

This psalm was written by the anointed king David when he was fleeing from his enemies and wandering in the wilderness. A king who was anointed to sit on the throne was instead chased and hunted for many years—about 10 to 13 years—by Saul. He wandered in caves and deserts, exposed to scorching heat, danger, insects, wild animals, grief, distress, shame, and lack. A man chosen to rule was living like a fugitive.

Yet in all this, David was confident that God had numbered his wanderings and bottled his tears.

Not one step was wasted. Not one tear was ignored. Every sleepless night, every cave, every betrayal was recorded before God. Because David brought his pain into the presence of God, the Lord changed his wandering into establishment and his tears into joy.

Because David sought the Lord, goodness and mercy followed him all the days of his life, and the promise extended to his generations.

This is a great encouragement—to know that even our wanderings are numbered and our tears are bottled.

He sees your wanderings—your wanderings while searching for a job, your wanderings to and from hospitals, your wanderings through rejection and replacement. He sees the nights you cry silently. He sees the seasons when nothing feels permanent.

Fear not. The government of God is not shaken. His kingdom has a plan to wipe away your tears and give you rest. You will receive help in due time. You will be protected by His presence. You will find favor in His eyes and provision from His hand.

Your season will change.

Your wanderings will end.

Prayer

Lord, You who number every step and collect every tear, thank You that my life is not unnoticed before You. In my wandering seasons, be my shelter. In my tears, be my comfort. Turn my wilderness into a place of encounter and my sorrow into joy. Establish my steps, and let Your goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.