After God's Heart

Dear Victorious,

When God called King David a "man after my own heart," what exactly did He mean by that? How can we become people after God's "own heart?"

Cela C. - Houston, TX

Dear Cela,

Look at King David's life, including some of the Psalms he wrote. The man made mistakes and sinned. But he had a humble repentant heart. He learned from his mistakes. And through it all, he trusted God. Moreover, he freely worshipped God with all his heart.

So if we want to learn from David's model, then we don't focus on our mistakes and our sin. It is not the absence of those things that make us men and women after God's own heart. Rather it is the willingness and readiness to repent when we do sin. It is the willingness and ability to consistently learn from our mistakes; and it is an enduring faith that will make us people after God's own heart.