1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I was looking forward to focusing on David, because from him, we will learn a lot about how a person can live in an intimate relationship with God. Paul also refers to David as a man after God’s own heart.

Wow, I want that title too. I also want to be close to God’s heart. There was this special relationship between David and God. It was certainly a pleasure for God to watch the young shepherd, David, out there in the field. It gave Him pleasure to see what was going on in David’s heart.

David simply loved God. God saw what David was like on the inside, and that was more than enough for Him. What He saw inside was acceptable to Him. It was David’s heart that qualified him to become king of Israel.

God did not want Samuel to make a mistake in appointing the king. He knew that as humans we easily look at the outward appearance. Jesse had decent, strong and handsome sons. Yet, that is not what this is about.

It’s about the inner being. That’s what matters. The outer being deteriorates with time. Wrinkles appear and spoil the picture. A person’s strength decreases, and later the outside simply no longer looks the same as before.

The inner being, on the other hand, can only become more beautiful and wiser with time. Well, that is if you don’t allow wrong things to nest inside.

Intimacy with God is not built on the outside, on how you look. It’s also not about what you do or where you stand on the world’s ladder. No, it starts where your heart lies open and honest before God. God doesn’t look at success and status. He looks at the love, humility, obedience and trust inside you.

Maybe we spend too much time on how we look on the outside, instead of making sure that our inside is acceptable to God. Be still and open yourself to Him. Let God show you what doesn’t fit His picture of you. Remove it, so that God can also say of you: “You are close to my heart!”

Prayer
Father, I love You. I only want to live for You. Help me to stand clean before You, so that I too can be close to Your heart …

Questions
On what do I spend most of my time and energy: my inside or my outside?
What is in my heart that does not align with God’s vision for me?
Is my heart open, honest, and humble before God?

Do this now
Make an appointment in your diary to spend time alone with God.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the things inside you that are not right.
Write down one thing and ask the Holy Spirit to help you get rid of it.