Read: Psalm 25
Watch: https://bibleproject.com/videos/yhwh-lord/
Pray: Psalm 25
David, the shepherd boy who became a king, learned in those lonely fields, to trust in the Lord. He came to be known as “a man after God’s own heart.” The prayer of David recorded in Psalm 25 begins with the personal phrase and declaration “In You LORD my God, I put my trust” (el YHWH YEHWIH elohim).
David knew the personal presence of the Lord who had strengthened him protecting the sheep from predators. The same Lord, stood with him as the giant was defeated. Even in the dark and lonely valleys of life (David knew many) he knew he could put his trust in the Lord. For these, and other reasons, David became a man after God’s own heart.
Do you want to be known as a person after God’s own heart? I do!
Our journey to this goal, begins like David’s; learning to declare, and then put into practice our complete trust in God. David asks of the Lord, don’t let me down, show me the right path, lead me by your truth. He asks God to remember the Lord’s compassion, while forgetting the sins of David’s youth. David goes on to state the Lord is good, and leads those who are humble and keep His covenants. He asks again for the Lord to forgive his many, many sins. He declares the Lord is a friend to those who fear him, and they will be taught the right way. David honestly pleads for mercy and rescue from his enemies concluding, “I put my hope in you!”
We can pray this prayer. We can learn to trust in the Lord (with all our heart… Proverbs 3-5-6), we can learn to put our hope in Him. As we do this, over and over again, praying this prayer or many like it. We slowly become people after God’s own heart. Let’s keep going on this lifelong journey! Maybe alone the way God will declare us to be “one after His own heart!”
Discussion questions:
- Becoming a person after God’s own heart is a slow, lifelong process of repeatedly praying a prayer of trust and hope. How can we intentionally build this kind of consistent prayer life, and what tangible changes might we expect to see in ourselves as we do?
2. David learned to trust God in both lonely, quiet moments and in dramatic battles like facing the giant. What does it look like to cultivate a habit of trust in God not just during major crises, but in the ordinary, everyday moments of our lives?
3. David is called a “man after God’s own heart,” yet David also acknowledged his “many, many sins.” What does this tell us about the nature of being “after God’s own heart”? Is it more about our perfect obedience or our consistent posture of trust and repentance?
