More Than Meets the Eye (1 Samuel 16:7)

In this episode of Pray the Word on 1 Samuel 16:7, David Platt reminds us that God looks at the heart, not outward appearance.

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Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical dot net. First Samuel chapter sixteen verse seven. 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. 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. And he didn't have the appearance and a variety of other things that his brothers had, but he did have the heart that first Samuel chapter 16, verse 7 says is what God focuses on. And 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. We are all so tempted to focus on what we look like, how we appear before others. And I'm not even just saying so 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 others think about me, what do others see in me? And 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. And then, 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. Like, 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. 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. So 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, whose hearts were humble 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. And God, 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. God, we pray for the Samon Sindhi 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 Samon Sindhi 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 chapter 16, verse 7. In Jesus' name, amen.