After God's Own Heart

When He chose David to be king over His people, God said of him, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will (Acts 13:22).” We often use such terms in day to day life. For example, if a man finds out that another man has similar traits, likes, & dislikes he will often say, “Well there is a guy after my own heart!” However, what does it really mean to be one “after God’s own heart?” To answer this, I want to focus on two factors found in the life of David.

You see, David wrote in Psalms 62:5-6, 8, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved…. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Many of His Psalms reveal his spiritual longing and passion for God. Psalm 62 was written by David during a time of great distress. It is not clear whether he wrote this when He fled from Saul, or when Absalom, David’s son, rebelled against him. What is certain is that even in the midst of turmoil, his hope and trust in the Lord remained. Though his outer man would flee from his oppressors, David’s inner man would wait on the Lord.

This is the first characteristic of a “person after God’s own heart,” to wait on God. Yet, this kind of waiting involves so much more than what we often assume. It is not about sitting idly by “twiddling our thumbs.” It is about intertwining our hearts with trust in God’s Word & Will. Verse 8 reveals two actions that are the essence of waiting on the Lord. First, we are to “trust in Him at all times.” There is never a time, when we should not trust in the Lord. A heart that waits is a heart that continually trusts. Second, we are to “pour out our hearts before Him.” This is a cry deep within the soul. We must not hold back our burdens, but cast them at the feet of the Almighty. God wants us to empty our own hearts of the cares of this life, so that He might continually fill us with His goodness. He wants us to “pour out” our entire being, while trusting in His hand of provision and power. To, “Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord… (Lamentations 2:19)” This is a major part of waiting on the Lord, for it prepares our hearts to gain a passion for His heart. To wait on the Lord is to daily cast all your cares upon Him, and continually trust in Him, for in Him is your “expectation”, and your very life. “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD (Psalms 27:14).” 

The next step is simple: It is not just to wait upon God, but also to pursue Him. Psalms 63:1 states, “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” This obviously seems like a paradox. How can one wait on the Lord, while seeking after Him?

Let us look deeper into the teaching of Psalms 63. Similar to the previous chapter, David penned this Psalm after he fled from the violent rage of Saul. Here are several key statements that he writes, “My soul thirstest for thee, my flesh longeth for thee…Thy lovingkindness is better than life….My soul shall be satisfied….When I remember…and meditate on thee….In the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.” David would flee for his life only to declare that the essence of abundant life is found in the Lord! He “thirsted” for and “followed” after the Lord. A.W. Tozer once stated, “To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.”

It is true that when David waited on the Lord, he trusted in God’s hand of deliverance, and he “poured out” his complaint and burden to God. Yet, now his “waiting” for deliverance and comfort is mixed with a divine pursuit for the Almighty. A longing to be satisfied not just with protection from his enemies, but with being near God’s presence! Isaiah declared “Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness (Isaiah 26:8-9).” His heart cry reveals that it is not only possible to wait on God, but also that in patiently waiting, the heart becomes passionate for God’s ways.  We transition from simple trust to a passionate pursuit, because it is in Him we are looking to for strength, and for our life’s satisfaction!