“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b

I’ll never forget it. My son was about seven years old and I was about to leave on a business trip. I remember taking him aside to tell him I loved him and would miss him while I was gone. Then I asked him to help his mom and obey her while I was away. His response: “I will Daddy.”

He said it with enthusiasm and commitment. He didn’t perfectly obey his mom while I was gone, but that’s not the point. His heart was in the right place.  He meant it when he said he would obey. I never doubted his intent and was blessed by his honest desire.

That’s how it is with us in our relationship with God. He looks at the heart, meaning he looks at the real you and your motives. He knows your intent, whether your commitment is to follow him or follow your own desires.

The great King David understood this. In his heartfelt prayer, recorded in Psalm 143, he pleads in verse 2, “Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.” David knew he wasn’t perfect, but he submitted to God with an “I will Daddy” attitude.

Take that to heart. That’s what God is looking for. God refers to David as a man “after my own heart” and as noted in Acts 13:22, “He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ David didn’t perfectly obey God. He made many mistakes and had many failures, yet his heart’s desire was always to obey, to always please God. That’s what our Father is looking for in us too. Is it your heart’s desire to follow God?