But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
– 1 Samuel 16:7
Oh, this is such a good verse. As God is talking about David, who, Scripture will later say, is a man after his own heart. He didn’t have the appearance and a variety of other things that his brothers had, but he did have the heart, that 1 Samuel 16:7 says is what God focuses on. There’s so much we could talk about here, so many different directions we could go. I want to take it in two different directions as we pray. One, I want to remind you and me that what is most important before God is the state of our hearts, not of our looks or our appearance in a variety of different ways.
1 Samuel 16:7 teaches us to focus on the heart, not outward appearance.
We are all so tempted to focus on what we look like, how we appear before others. I’m not even just saying physically, our appearance, although we do spend a good amount of time in mirrors, looking at our appearances and evaluating our appearances, but also, we just spend so much time, even unconsciously, thinking about what do others think about me? What do others see in me? I just want to encourage you, focus instead on your heart before God. This is most important. Put your focus there. Think about that all the time. God, help me to tend to my heart that it might be pleasing to you. Form my heart. Transform my heart at the core of who I am. May my heart be filled with love for you and love for others, and cultivate that kind of heart.
Second, look at others this way. Look at their hearts. Look beyond people’s outward appearance and what the world might say, is most important on the outside, not just… Again, looks could be money, success, status. No. Look at people’s hearts and let that lead you to love them well. Meaning to love them, serve them, care for them in such a way that you encourage their hearts, in such a way that you build up their hearts, and, most importantly, their relationship with God at the core of who they are.
1 Samuel 16:7 pictures a life devoted to God from the inside out.
I want people in my life who are encouraging my heart and helping me grow in love for God, and so be that kind of person in others’ lives. We pray, God, we pray that you would help us to see as you see ourselves this way. God, we pray for hearts that are pleasing to you. We want what was said of David to be said of us, that we were people, men, women, after your heart who hearts were humbled before you, hearts were in awe of you, hearts adoring, loving you with all that we have, all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our strength.
God, we pray that you would help our heart to be more wholly devoted to you today. Lord, we pray that you would help us to love others well by looking at their hearts, by nurturing their hearts, by encouraging their hearts. God, help us not to be like the world, focused on outward appearances, not only in ourselves, but in others. Help us to serve, and care for, and love with compassion people around us in ways that nurture their hearts. God, we pray, help us to see others like you see them today in ways that lead us to serve them, and care for them, and encourage brothers and sisters in Christ and for those who are not in Christ to point them to you and your love for them.
Prayer for the Sindhi Samon People
Lord, we pray for the Sindhi Samon people of India and Pakistan. God, for this people group of 268,000 men, women, and children. Each of them with a heart before you. God, we pray the gospel would go to the Sindhi Samon people of India and Pakistan. That their hearts might be transformed by your love for them in Jesus. Oh God, please help us to see the peoples of the world as you see them. God, we pray all of this according to your Word in 1 Samuel 16:7. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
