Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
I'm After God's Heart
"...David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes." 1 Kings 14:8
"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy." Psalm 30:11
David is a man not only after God's heart, but mine. He's bent on pleasing God, but he seems to bounce off the wall spiritually with every Psalm he writes. One day he is wailing, the next, dancing. One moment he throws himself down in sackcloth and ashes, disgusted with his behavior, the next, he's effervescing joy like 7-Up. In the space of just one Psalm, he cries, then rants and raves, gets depressed, teeters on the edge of doubt, then does a complete turnabout, confesses, repents, and ultimately rejoices in praise.
That's my kind of guy. I can identify with someone for whom obedience does not always come easy. I'm not glorying in my hardheadedness. Being slow to obey is not something to brag about. God knows it took a broken neck to back me into a corner in order to get me seriously thinking about His lordship in my life. But I'm learning. No longer is a broken neck required for me to be instant in obedience. Maybe a pressure sore, or a stint in bed from the flu. These are the less dramatic means God uses to press my heart up against His. And, oh, I want to seek His heart!
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Are you the kind of believer who immediately turns a headache into a hallelujah? Few, if any, Christians are made automatically holy through their heartaches. Most are like David for whom there was no mystical link between trials and triumphs. Take heart! When you struggle in a test or against temptation, when you move toward obedience, even in a small way, God sees it as seeking after His heart.
O God, though I sometimes wander far, though I stumble and fall, please, please: I want to be a child after Your own heart.
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
www.joniandfriends.org
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