Today's talk is by Elder N. Eldon Tanner, called "Search for the Wanderers".
The Quote
"We have an old song, “Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight?” and I was wondering if that could not be changed to mean more to us in these words: “Why is my boy wandering tonight?”
History of an Old Song
“Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight?” is one of those 19th-century American sentimental songs that carried a moral, religious, and emotional message.
It was written by Robert Lowry, a Baptist minister who also wrote hymns (and the husband of my eighth cousin twice removed). He was also the writer of Shall We Gather at the River? and Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.
Like those, Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight? was intended as an evangelistic hymn, to stir the emotions of congregations and awaken wayward young men to return to faith and family.
The song speaks from the perspective of a grieving parent—often sung from a mother's perspective—asking after her “wandering boy,” who has left the safety of home and faith.
Its central refrain is:
“Where is my wandering boy tonight,
The boy of my tenderest care?
The boy that was once my joy and light,
The child of my love and prayer?”
The lyrics reflect the Victorian religious theme of parental intercession (like God interceded for us) and the anxiety of families over sons who had strayed into sin, drinking, or worldly living. It was designed to move hearts toward repentance and reunion, similar to the parable of the prodigal son from the New Testament (Luke 15:11-32).
It was super popular during the Temperance movement, and a great song for your revival meeting or singing in the parlor to impress Aunt Fanny when she comes over to visit.
Not sung a lot anymore these days, but definitely part of our cultural history.
The Question of "Why?"
It's intriguing that Elder Tanner would spin the song title as he does, to ask the question of why, to try and get to the root of the problem of children losing faith in God when they were taught differently.
This is an area where we as a church often differ from other Christian denominations. Some faiths say that accepting Christ as our Savior is all that must be done, and we're done. He's done everything else, and now we are saved no matter what we do.
In our faith, we believe Christ is our Savior, and when we accept him, we show our thanks and gratitude for saving us through following Him. Acting as He would have us act, in our own small and often insufficient way.
Sometimes this is misinterpreted as a belief that we can save ourselves through works. This is absolutely not true. If I had to save myself, I would have turned to dust long, long ago.
I gave myself to Christ when it became clear that saving myself was a total impossibility, and then Christ saved me. I thank Him daily by building a relationship with him through prayer and learning of Him and listening for his voice in the scriptures. I try to do my tiny baby version of what He would do if He were me, physically present in my life.
Those experiences have continued to strengthen me and see His power and influence in my life on a regular basis. Even when things are hard, He is there for me. But I had to take those steps to find the answer to the question of "Why should I do hard things?" Finding that answer takes faith to step into the dark.
If we earnestly follow Christ, there is no wandering boy or girl. Not in my experience. Elder Tanner concurred in his talk:
"...if all who listened...will follow the instructions that were given them, there will not be wandering boys."
