Doing the Will of God

Part 2 

“He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said,

‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’” - Acts 13:22 

What a statement this is that God makes about David, “I have found…a man after My heart, who will do all My will.”  This testimony has always amazed and challenged me (second only to what the Scripture speaks about Moses’ relationship with God, “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend” Exodus 33:11).  O how I’ve always prayed that God would find me to be a man after His heart, a man who will do all His will.  Maybe you have prayed and had this as your desire too, just like me.  You may also find yourself just like me feeling like you’ve failed to actually see it happen in and through your life just as often as you’ve prayed it.  But have we? 

The first thing that we must ask ourselves in light of this Scripture is what does it mean to be a man after God’s own heart?  The heart, as referred to here in this verse, speaks of the emotions, will, intellect, and desires that one has.  To be a person after God’s heart is to be a person whose emotions, will, intellect, and desires are set to accomplish God’s desires and purposes.  David was a man who was committed to doing the will of God. 

But wait!  How can it be said of David that He was a man after God’s heart – that he was committed to doing God’s will?  He blew it – he sinned greatly!  How can a man who commits adultery and then intentionally sends the woman’s husband to the front line knowing that he’ll be killed, be called a man after God’s heart, a man who is committed to doing the will of God?  Adultery and murder is not God’s will, is it?  Certainly it is not. 

You see, although the Scriptures testify that David was a man after God's own heart, he was just a man.  Just like you and me.  He was a man who was born into iniquity – he was a man with a sinful nature.  But after it was all said and done, David was a man who trusted God. David was a man who sinned, knew that he had done so, and as a result, finally repented before a most holy God (after much agony and torment for delaying).  David knew that the Lord God was an Almighty, All-knowing, Ever-present, and Sovereign God who could not (and would not) tolerate sin.  He also knew that the Lord God was a loving and merciful God who forgives those who call upon Him.  David’s knowledge and understanding of who God was is what always brought him back to that place where he needed to be – trusting in Him.  This is what made David a man after God’s heart. 

When it says that David was a man after God’s own heart, it may also be translated that he was “a man of God’s own choosing.”  O what a comfort this is to my soul as I hope it is to yours, also.  God is the one who has chosen us to come to His Son.  God is the one who has given us the grace to believe.  God is the one who has sovereignly placed us in Christ.  O child of God, it is all of His doing and not our own.  Rest today in the finished work of Jesus Christ, knowing He alone is your righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  Your faith in what He has done (which causes us to experience a peaceful rest in our daily lives) is what makes you a person after God’s own heart. 

When we read of the lives of the men of the Old Testament we read of all their blunders and mistakes.  But when we read of them in the New Testament, we see them for what they are in Christ – men of faith – because they are written of through God’s grace.  Their failures are not mentioned just their faith (read Hebrews11).  Faith is what makes us people after God’s own heart - faith in who He is and what He has done.  Faith is the obedience that pleases God and imparts to us His righteousness.  Faith is the only way that we can accomplish His will. 

Next week we will begin looking at different things from God’s Word we see to be His will for our lives and how, through Christ, we can accomplish them.  Until then, may the testimony of David be an encouragement to all of us who desire to be people after God’s own heart, and may we realize that faith is what makes it a reality.  

They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do,

that we may work the works of God?" 

Jesus answered and said to them,

"This is the work of God,

that you believe in Him whom He has sent."  -John 6:28-29 

It is my prayer that you would come to a greater realization and understanding of His grace this week knowing that His will (His work) is accomplished in you through faith in Jesus Christ. 

By God's Grace ~ Through God's Word ~ For God's Glory!

Chuck Long

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