Inspired by 1 Samuel
16:1-13
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his
appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for
the Lord does not see as mortals
see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”
1 Samuel 16:7
Our human eyes are so easily deceived. We see beauty and think goodness; we see
height and think strength. Yet there is
no real correlation between what we see and what we perceive.
God alone is capable of looking into our hearts and
seeing what is truly at the core of our being. God can see our deception, our greed, and our
cruelty, and no amount of physical grooming or conditioning can hide those
things. But God can also see through our
displays of confidence and bravado to the uncertainty, the guilt, the shame,
and the fear that we’re desperately trying to hide.
We can’t hide our true selves from God, and we shouldn’t
try. For God knows our sin, knows our
need for salvation, and sent his Son to comfort and redeem us. He will forgive us our sins of deception,
greed, and cruelty, and grant us the certainty of his love, take our guilt and
shame upon himself, and reassure us in our fear. His grace can transform us from the inside
out, so that all who look upon us will be able to see the love of God in Christ
Jesus.
Let us pray. God of
understanding, you are not deceived by the images we project. Touch us deep within our hearts, that we may
know your abiding love and live according to your grace. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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