Praying Girls By Sheila WalshSample

Day Seven

“God, You see me from the inside out.”

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7; Acts 13:22

It’s always fun to buy a new outfit, to slip on a pair of new shoes, to try a new hairstyle. But if we’re not careful, we can put too much emphasis on having all the “right” things. 

According to the world, we are what we wear. We are how we look. 

God says this just isn’t true. 

In 1 Samuel 16, God tells Samuel to go to a certain town and to find a man named Jesse. “I have selected one of his sons to be my king,” God explained, to which Samuel said, “How can I do that?” (vv. 1–2). God told him He’d show him which person it was. 

Later, when Samuel met Jesse’s sons, he thought for sure that the first one was the one God wanted to be king. He was tall and handsome and seemed strong—perfect for a king, right? 

But he wasn’t the right man. 

“Don’t judge by his appearance or height,” God said to Samuel, “for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v. 7). 

After God confirmed that none of the seven sons was the “chosen one,” Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other children. Jesse’s youngest son, a small-framed shepherd boy named David, was out in the fields tending to Jesse’s flocks. David was brought in from the fields, and right away Samuel knew that he was the one. 

Regardless of how David looked on the outside—his youth, his height, his job—God saw a king. He saw a noble leader, a world changer. 

Do you want to know a secret? When God looks at you, He sees a girl He loves. He sees someone who is brave and strong, who is loving and caring, who is special and smart. He sees His beloved daughter. 

Will you choose to see yourself this way too? 

God, sometimes when I think about myself, I think negative thoughts. I don’t always think about words like “brave” and “loving” and “special” and “smart.” Thank You for reminding me that You don’t see me the same way the world sees me . . . or the way I see myself. You see me from the inside out. What You see when You look at me is not my body or my face but my heart. Amen.