This past week, I have worked to move past my mid-winter blahs and into a more enriched and vital time in service to my Lord. I have found such sweet comfort and joy in spending time with Christian friends and learning what it truly means to trust Him with my life and my future. I have a long way to go, but I am finding that the journey forward into the unknown is much better traveled with trusted friends with the Savior leading the way.
It seemed fitting that Pastor Tim’s sermon from The Story this week was exactly what I needed to hear and take in during this season of my life. For the next two weeks, we will be examining the life and kingship of David, who the Bible tells us was a man after God’s own heart. Pastor Tim asked us to talk with the person next to us in the pews and consider what this phrase meant. What does it look like for a person to be known as someone after God’s own heart?
My first reaction to the question was to say that a person after God’s own heart would be someone wanting to be like Him more than anything else. Others spoke up saying that this person would have to be obedient, strong in character, and his will lined up with that of God.
As I listened to the sermon, I thought about my own life. Would someone ever be able to say that I was a woman after God’s own heart? Almost immediately, I came to the conclusion that no, this probably could not be said of me. If the past few weeks have taught me anything, I am a frail child of God with limited trust in Him and a great deal of fear. I am a control freak, always wanting to know what is on the horizon and needing a plan to make my way through each new challenge.
Acts 13 tells about David— that he was a man after God’s own heart who did what God wanted him to do. He was obedient and did his best to model God’s character in every aspect of His life. He could have turned away in fear, but instead, he stepped out in courage and killed the giant. He could have taken the opportunity to kill his adversary, Saul, but instead, he simply cut off a piece of his garment when the king of Israel was most vulnerable. David was fallible and human to the core, but above all, He had God at the center of his life and this was evident in the way he lived his life. He lived as one who was close to God and was intimately acquainted with His ways.
So in the coming weeks, I seek to take the first steps in drawing closer to Him. Today’s service really brought this aspect into focus as we sang songs like “Draw me Close’ and “Come to me.” The way in which I truly feel most close to Him is when I am in His Word. Recently, I have found myself clinging to verses like Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”; Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future;” and Philippians 3:13-14: “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
These verses have reminded me that God is in control, He holds the future, and that I must focus on what truly matters: running the race and receiving the prize in Christ Jesus. Just reading His promises has strengthened me and given me a peace like no other. Will I still face trials and fears of many kinds? Yes, I probably will. But will God be with me? Yes, he absolutely will!
So it is my mission and goal for the weeks, months, and life ahead of me that I seek to be a woman that is after God’s own heart and is rooted in His Word. It is only in being close to Him that we can truly live this life in faith and act out the calling that He has on our lives. I have a great deal to learn, just as we all do, but the journey will be that much sweeter with God at our side.
cassiecontemplates 