February 16, 2026

Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 or Isaiah 35:3-7

Daily Lectionary: Job 12:1-6, 12-25; John 5:30-47

“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 sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

I’m the youngest in my family, like David. And while I can’t tell you that I’m like David in that I’m a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22), what I can tell you is that maybe I did have a similar stature to David. For most of my life, I was the smallest kid in the class. At the end of 8th grade, heading into high school, I was 4’11”. When I graduated high school, I was 5’5”. In all those years of school, I was never picked first for any sports teams, even though I felt like I could be just as good as everyone else. I was usually one of the last ones picked (I was also much shyer than I am today, so I wasn’t one to speak up for myself). In college, I grew another five inches. I was a bit of a late bloomer, but that still just makes me kind of average. 

And what if God were to look at my heart? What if He looks at the desires within it, what will He find? Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander (Matthew 15:19), and an abundance of other things not mentioned (greed, pride, selfishness, etc.). I can’t become a man after God’s own heart—not on my own, at least.

I need someone to make my heart clean. Peter talks about God, who knows the heart, bore witness to the Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit just like He did to the Jews, and cleansed their hearts by faith (Acts 15:8-9). 

The Good News is that my heart is clean. Not by my own doing, but through the waters of Baptism, where I have been washed through the water and the Word, where the Holy Spirit has been given to me, Jesus has marked me as one redeemed by Him, called me by name, brought me into His family, rescued me from death and the devil, and gives to me eternal life, because of faith, which was present in my Baptism. 

I still have moments where I will stumble and fall, just like David. And I am forgiven and restored when I am brought to repentance, just like David. And through God’s work alone, in me, I can be a man after His own heart. 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10-11)

Rev. Glenn Worcester, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.