No.14 Wonder Looks Into the Heart

Today’s thought is super simple. Wonder looks past outward appearances and into the heart of a man.

When Saul was rejected as king of Israel, God told Samuel that he was seeking a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13) and sent him to the house of Jesse to anoint the new king (1 Samuel 16). They started the process with an older, bigger brother. “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him,” thought everyone.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature…For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks (wonder, considers) on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks (wonder, considers) on the heart.”

So another brother was brought before Samuel, but God said no. Then another brother was summoned, but God said no again. At the end of an outwardly impressive line of older, bigger brothers, seven to be exact, there was still no king. Samuel says to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these. Are all your sons here?”

Jesse sent for David, the youngest, smallest son. He wasn’t even in the house. David was out in the fields with the sheep. When he was brought in, the Lord said to Samuel, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”

Wonder, considering, pushes us past what our natural eyes see and makes us look on the hearts of people. That’s the way God sees us. He isn’t swayed by appearance or reputation. He is moved by our hearts being loyal to him (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Think about Jesus’ disciples; the twelve people closes to him. Had man been in charge of choosing Jesus’ disciples, they would have picked the Pharisees. They looked the part, but their hearts didn’t receive Jesus for who he was. The disciples were ready when Jesus called them. They left everything they knew behind to follow him (Matthew 4:18-22).

I don’t know about you, but I want a heart that is ready to follow. And I want eyes that see (wonder) past outward appearances and sees Jesus in people.

Jesus, I want to look past appearances to see you shining in people’s hearts. Forgive me seeing with my own eyes, my prejudice, my pride. Give me your eyes to see the people around me, and your heart to love them.