Time and time again throughout the Bible, God chooses the humble to carry out His purpose. David’s story is no different.

When Saul, the first anointed king over Israel, defies God’s commands, Samuel the prophet tells him, “the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler of His people” (1 Sam. 13:14).

Soon after, Samuel heads on over to Bethlehem. There, he sees Jesse’s eldest son, Eliab, and thinks he’s surely the one to be anointed.

Then, God speaks to him in 1 Samuel 16:

“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.”

Jesse presents before Samuel six of his other sons thereafter— with none to qualify.

Then, David, the youngest whom his dad didn’t even consider— the one who was tending the sheep and minding his own business— is brought in and becomes anointed as the future king of Israel.

As the story unfolds throughout the books of Samuel, we see evidence of why God called David “a man after His own heart.”

He was no perfect man— far from it in fact. He not only took a man’s life but also committed adultery. However, through all the tragedies he faced and all the sins he committed, David always turned to God— his dear Father in heaven— to seek His comfort, forgiveness, guidance, and most importantly, love.

To David, God wasn’t a mere divine figure or some genie in the bottle.

In reading Psalms, of which David wrote more than half of, we get a glimpse of the personal and intimate relationship he had with God, whom he called “One who lifts my head high” (Ps. 3:3).

God meant the world to David.

I shall leave you with one of my favorite Psalms: Psalm 13. As you read, I pray you’ll see the beauty of David’s honesty before God and his adoration and love for Him.

My Encouragement for You

Walking with Jesus in this life does not equate to “being religious.” It’s meant to be a real, authentic relationship.

Every one of us has an invitation from Jesus who sacrificed his life for us to have a direct relationship with our Father in heaven.

God’s not looking for the one with the perfect outer appearance like Eliab.

He’s not looking for the rich, the powerful, nor the self-righteous.

He is looking for those who are after His own heart and desire a relationship— to be in love with Him, not because we have to, but because we want to.

I encourage you today, my beloved, to join me in seeking God’s heart and His kingdom like David did.

Before we present our prayer request, how about we see Him for who He is— a person— and ask Him how He’s doing, what He’s feeling, what we can do to bring Him joy, and how we can love Him / receive His love better?

After all, all He’s ever wanted to do from the beginning of time was to be in love with us.

With love, Jae

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

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