TOPIC: A MAN AFTER GOD’S HEART
“And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” – Acts 13:22 (NKJV)
David is undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest king that Israel ever had. He was very successful, and the only man in Scripture that God Himself designated in 1 Samuel 13:14, “a man after God’s heart. ” This means there is a connection between a ‘man after God’s heart’ and being successful in life. Yes, God loves us unconditionally and when we receive His love for us, it pours back as pursuit for His kingdom – the things that are dear to His heart.
You can literally read through the Psalms of David and feel his pulse for God. In Psalms 139:23 he prayed, “SEARCH me, O God, and KNOW MY HEART; try me, and know my anxieties;” David always wanted his heart to be in sync with God. According to our text, one reason God called him a man after His Own heart was simply because God could brag on the fact that David will do ALL – not some – of His WILL. A heart for God’s cause like David is a secret to unlocking your dreams and being successful.
While David’s greatest dream was to build God a magnificent temple, God’s desire was a king who will oversee His people (Israel) in truth and love. God said in 1 Kings 8:16, “Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have CHOSEN NO CITY from any tribe of Israel in which to BUILD A HOUSE, that My name might be there; but I CHOSE DAVID to be over My people Israel.’” God was saying I chose David because of my people and not because I wanted a temple. Yet God gave David the temple that he dreamed of through his son – Solomon because David was a man who duly and truly stewarded and provided godly leadership for the nation of Israel (Psalm 78:72).
The temple was built! God made it a reality and at the dedication, Solomon stated in 1 Kings 8:17, 20, “… it was IN THE HEART of my father David to BUILD A TEMPLE for the name of the LORD God of Israel… the LORD has FULFILLED HIS WORD which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. ” Solomon’s prayer reveals a powerful truth about God’s willingness to fulfill our desires when we set our hearts to do His will.
When a heart is set on God and there’s a commitment to seeing His People and His kingdom expand, God will always commit Himself to bring to pass our heart’s greatest desires.
Like David, set your heart on the Father’s cause and pursue it and watch Him bring to pass all your desires in Jesus name.
PRAYER: Father, I receive grace to set my heart on You and to do all of Your will as revealed in Your Word by Your Spirit in Jesus Name.
pastor Alfred Samuel