A man after God’s Own Heart
1 Samuel 13:14 “But now your kingdom will not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart; and the Lord has appointed him to be ruler over his people…”
I have longed to be someone of whom the Lord could say, “he is a man after my own heart”. “I am well pleased with him”. David was this man of whom the scripture speaks of. As you read this posting I will be in the wilderness of Olympic National Park with my 13 year old son Samuel. We will be pursuing together what it means to be a man after God’s own heart. This will be his early initiation into manhood. I pray that I can show him something of this man God wishes us to be.
David certainly stumbled and faltered badly. He lusted after Bathsheba, committed adultery, deceived her husband, and then ultimately had him murdered to cover up the sin that led to a pregnancy. This is pretty serious stuff, even in today’s standards. He also failed to discipline a son who committed incest with a sister. He failed to comfort this daughter of his and left her in her disgrace. We could go on to list more errors of judgment, sins, and other misdeeds. But, what made him this man after God’s own heart? Certainly it wasn’t a completely righteous and holy life?
I have been asking brothers this same question (thanks brothers for your thoughts). Many of you spoke of loving God with all your heart and to love others as yourself. Some of the merciful heart and the contrite heart.
This heart for God has been my strong desire to live out for a long time. There have been many times though when I felt rather far from this type of relationship with my Father. There have been times of dryness; a spirit of barrenness. There have been times of carrying the burden of sin and failure. There have been times of fear and anxiety. There have been times of going through the motions. There have even been times of pride and dwelling in my spiritual accomplishments. How far this is from God’s own heart!
I decided I needed take a tour through Psalms to really understand the man after God’s own heart. This will be the focus of our time together in Olympic.
Broken before the Lord
Ps. 51:17b A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise..
David’s heart was broken over his own sin. Repentant. Reliant on God. Not proud of heart. He turned fully to the God of all heavens and earth. He was not sinless and therefore he knew he was totally and wholly in need of God’s forgiveness. This is a man after God’s own heart.
Confident in the Lord
Ps 108:1 My heart is confident in You, O God; no wonder I can sing Your praises with all my heart.
Ps. 108:12 Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. With God’s help we will do mighty things for He will trample down our foes.
I Sam. 17:32 Don’t worry about this Philistine, Dave told Saul. “I’ll go fight him.”
I Sam. 17:45 David replied to the Philistine “ You come to me with sword, spear, and javeline, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaves and the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied”.
Confidence in the Lord, trust that He will do what is best for me (and not confident in the flesh). Confidence that He will provide in the day of trouble and that He will be with me in the valley of the shadow of death. With confidence in God, a steadfast spirit, one can do great things because of the trust in the One who can do all things well. This is the man after God’s own heart.
Delights in the Lord (Passion for the Lord)
Ps. 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
II Samuel 6:14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might,
David loved everything about the Lord. He delighted to be in His presence. He worshipped , played the harp and sang with all his heart. Even his desires, God gives because they are His also. This is the man after God’s own heart.
Hungers and Thirsts for the Lord
Ps. 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water brooks so my soul pants for Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
Even water and food do not satisfy as the Lord does. There is a hunger, there is a thirst for the presence of the Lord. Without Him we would dry up and blow away. With Him we are satisfied. This is the man after God’s own heart.
Waits for the Lord
Ps. 40:1-2 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.
Ps. 37:7 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.
David learned to wait on God, in battle, and in waiting to become king. What a contrast to Saul who often took matters into his own hands as he grew impatient in God’s timing. Waiting and being still are lost arts today. The value is placed on aggressiveness and a take charge mentality that acts first and then asks questions later. One maybe like Saul’s as he hurried to offer the sacrifice because Samuel was delayed. He had to do it right? his men were getting restless and fearful. Waiting upon the Lord is the mark of the man of God. This is the man after God’s own heart.
There is much more to write and study on this for me, and I can see it is just going to be the start of the journey for Samuel (and me).
Share your thoughts on what it takes to be a man after God’s own heart.
Blessings on your journey
Scott for Wellspring, copyright 2007
