In yesterday’s devotional we looked at David. Actually, we looked at how God looked at David: “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

This was true not only for David, but for you. The Lord looks on your heart. 

This is a source of hope. Let’s take a moment to think about why.

When the world around you dismisses you, the Lord sees who you really are. His understanding of you (which is better than anybody else’s) is rooted in the right things, not the wrong things.

He sees and values your honest prayers and the tears you shed in faith when nobody else is looking. 

He sees and values your sacrifice—those times when you deny yourself so that someone else can get something they would not otherwise benefit from.

He sees and values your sincere faith when everyone else things you’re crazy. 

He sees and values when you are tired and all you can utter is, “I’m sorry.” 

He sees and values you getting to church when you don’t feel like it and singing a song of thanksgiving when that’s the furthest from how you feel.

He sees and values when you pray and start again every morning because the day before was an abject disaster.

He sees and values when you try to share your faith with someone and trip up on your words so badly that you think it would have been better to have said nothing in the first place.

This isn’t a reason to sin or to stop trying to live by faith. We should make an effort, not excuses. Instead, it’s a reminder that when God looks at you he isn’t seeing you as the world sees. He’s not shallow or focused on the wrong things. 

God sees within. He sees your heart. And he does so as a loving Father who has adopted you as his very own.

“People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Notes and extra content:

-“The Lord looks on the heart.” Sermon. April 13, 2025. Click here.

-If you’re close to Barrie, Canada and don’t have a church home, click here for our Easter Services: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday.

-Bible quotes are from the NIV.