2 Samuel 9:1 (NLT) One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

David is a man who was considered by God to be a man after His own heart. No one but David holds this distinction of being considered as someone who had the likeness of God's own heart. It gets a little confusing as you read about David's life and learn that he not only made a lot of mistakes, but that a couple of those mistakes were actually horrible crimes against an innocent man (Uriah the Hittite, who was Bathsheba's husband). But David, being human as he was, suffered the same malady that we all suffer, which is that we are plagued by a very sinful nature. But when David sinned hard, he also repented hard. He turned from his sin and cried out for God's mercy on multiple occasions. As you read all of David's life story as told in 1 and 2 Samuel, you do begin to see why God referred to him as He did and the story leading up to the verse above gives us a glimpse into David's heart.

After Saul died in battle along with his son Jonathan, David was crowned king of Judah where he reigned for seven years. After that, the kingdom was once again fully united with the other ten tribes appointing him as their king as well. He finally was appointed and anointed as king over all of Israel as the Prophet Samuel had spoken many years before as God had instructed. He began his reign being successful in everything that he put his hands to do because the Lord was with him. He wanted to build a temple for God, but the Lord instead told David that He would establish his own house and establish his kingdom and give him rest from his enemies. At the height of all of this incredible success and when he can finally just relax, he begins to think of what good thing he can do for anyone from Jonathan's family. Most people at this point are so high on their successes that they have no time to think about anyone else, especially someone of no great importance. As it turns out, the only one left was a crippled young man that was living in a lowly place called Lo-debar, which was considered a ghetto in those times. Why would David. at the height of his success, take time to see what good he could do for someone? Oh, that's right, he was a man after God's own heart! This is what the Lord saw in David when he sought a man after His own heart and found it in David. Even though David was an imperfect man, he had the heart of Jesus, and he had that heart because He sought the Lord his God with all of his heart. When you spend significant time consistently in God's presence, He molds your heart after His own.

Spend much time with Jesus in prayer, through His word, through the fellowship of the believers and by having a running conversation with Him (that's praying without ceasing) and you will have your heart molded after God's own heart. Then, you may find yourself asking, "What good thing can I do for someone today?" Imagine if all followers of Christ had that kind of heart. The world would look a lot different if we got the kind of heart that looks to do good for goodness’ sake and for the cause of Christ. The world needs people that are after God's own heart. That's us. Let's take our place by asking, seeking and knocking, thereby becoming more and more like Jesus, for goodness’ sake.

Pastor Joey Vazquez