God Sees Your Value - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - December 5
God Sees Your Value
By: Kristine Brown
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” - 1 Samuel 16:7
We sorted through trinkets and keepsakes at my mother-in-law’s house, wanting to keep it all but knowing we didn’t have the space. Four years after her passing, we still hadn’t finished the task. Yet somehow, I didn’t mind, because deciding what to keep and what to donate gave us time to reminisce.
Seeing her old hanging lamp in the corner, I told my husband to add it to the giveaway pile. If we could find a box big enough for it. It definitely wasn’t my style. Or anyone else’s in the family, for that matter. I determined the odd-looking lamp had to go, but my sister-in-law intervened.
“Maybe you should look it up and see if it’s worth anything. I think those lamps are popular right now.”
So I took her advice, looked it up online, and found one exactly like it - priced at $550 dollars. And to think I almost let it go because I didn’t see its value.
God specializes in seeing beyond appearances. He had given Samuel the important job of sorting through the sons of a man named Jesse to find the next king. God reassured Samuel that He would guide him to the right person. But after standing face-to-face with Jesse’s first son, Samuel became distracted by his looks. He needed a reminder, one we can all be encouraged by today.
God sees our value when no one else does.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT
After God’s gentle correction, something changed. Samuel relied on the Holy Spirit rather than his own senses to point out God’s chosen king. All seven sons passed before him, then Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these,” and asked if he had any more sons. Enter the unassuming future King David, who had been watching over the sheep. Exactly who God had planned for the task of leading His people.
Sometimes I’m tempted to look at myself or others with a critical eye. I assess worth based on what I see. This story in chapter 16 gives me hope. Because even someone like Samuel needed help from time to time. Our human tendencies are in contrast to God’s ways. Inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us will help us resist the temptation to point out the bad and instead focus on the good we often do not see. Then we will discover the beauty God sees, in all things.
Let’s make an honest assessment today. As criticism in our world grows, are we pointing out the bad in ourselves and others? Or are we focusing on the heart? Just like my mother-in-law’s lamp, unspeakable value may be hidden beneath the surface. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to reveal the value God sees. God’s assessment is greater than we could ever imagine.
Discover more about walking in faith with resources from Kristine Brown’s Life Enrichment Library. You’ll also find weekly encouragement to help you “become more than yourself through God’s Word” at her website, kristinebrown.net. Kristine is the author of the book, Over It. Conquering Comparison to Live Out God’s Plan, and the companion devotional for teen girls.
Related Resource: Instead of Doing More This Summer, Maybe You Need to Do Less
If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
