The sons of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
— Judges 20:27-28
God’s leading and God’s heart can be two different things. God’s word in answer to Israel’s prayer may have given them the false assurance they were doing His will, just as we might feel when we finally receive an answer to something we have prayed for.Afterward we might say, “I am only doing what God told me to do!” Yet when we prayed, were we asking according to His heart? You may tell others that the Lord has led you in a certain matter, but those with spiritual understanding will realize that, although the Lord indeed may have given you permission, it was not something according to His heart.
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, page 17.
Tomorrow: “No One Cared for What God Wanted”