A Man After God’s Own Heart

I’ve always had an affinity for King David. David, like me, was wild at heart. He had a proclivity for getting in trouble, running his mouth, and picking legendary fights with fabled foes. But in his heart, he desired to be good, to do what was right, to own his mistakes, and to be God’s. He was a character I could connect with.

My mom always said I was out of the box, larger than life, just like David. And reading his story showed me how God used this flawed but dedicated man, not because David was perfect but because of the choice he made over and over again to turn his heart toward God. That gave me hope that God could do the same for me.

The Bible describes David as “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). In the Psalms, we read David’s raw, heartfelt, and unfiltered prayers to God. And while you’d think that in writing about himself he would put a positive spin on his life, ignoring the broken and bad and highlighting his more honorable accomplishments, instead he stands before God in his prayer naked, baring all, acknowledging his need for God’s presence and the devastating mistakes that took him from it.

In the Psalms, David calls to, petitions, and cries for God and His mercy, love, forgiveness, and friendship—not as a man who thinks he has earned it but as a child who calls out to his father in need and wants. A king with armies, women, might, and fame comes before God like a child: weak, in need, and begging.

I wonder if this is why David is seen as a legendary man of God. Perhaps it wasn’t his good or bad works that set him apart. Maybe all along the thing that God so loved was David’s heart, which was turned toward his Creator in humility and desire—a desire above all things that existed on both his best and worst days.

Being the man I ought to be won’t come from the things I do or don’t do; instead, it will come out of a relationship with my Creator. A heart after God’s own.

The words, ‘a man after God’s heart’ were spoken by the prophet Samuel about Israel’s next king, David. Samuel’s words let us know that what matters to God is the condition of our hearts. God is the safe One to whom we can confess those things that divide our hearts. Take the time to confess what is heavy and share your heart with God.