Joshua 14:7-8 – I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart.  Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully.

If we are going to follow God fully into a great adventure, we must have His heart.  This was the distinguishing feature between Caleb and Joshua, and the other ten Israelites who were sent to spy out the promised land.  The report that came back exposed what was in their hearts.

Caleb was committed to following the Lord fully.  He did not only think about God on the days of required sacrifice and worship but everything he did was centered on pleasing God and honoring Him with his life.  God was not simply a part of his life; He was his life.  As a result, he was confident in God’s desire and ability to give them the land and brought back a good report.  He had God’s heart.

How do we get God’s heart?  How do we begin to see the people in our lives through the eyes of Jesus?  How do we gain God’s perspective of our world?

We ask Him for it.

Prayer is the key to God’s heart, and specifically prayer for others.  As we begin to intentionally and consistently lift our requests to Him, we begin to love those for whom we pray.  God’s Spirit and His Word give us direction in how and what to pray, and we soon find ourselves thinking about others in a new way.

We grieve because they do not know the Lord.

We hurt when they suffer.

We rejoice when they are glad.

Caleb had God’s heart because He followed the Lord fully.  He pursued God with a desire to live and speak and act in ways that honored God.  Just like his friend, Joshua, most likely he would have spent time in the tent of meeting, praying to God for his family and his people (Exodus 33:11)

Caleb’s heart for the Lord did not diminish with age.  We are mistaken if we believe that God only uses young people in the important places of kingdom work and that once we reach a certain age we can relax and coast into old age on our past commitments.  Our roles may change, but our spirits are always young, and we can continue to grow in our passion for God’s heart.  We are still members of the body of Christ, still gifted and vital to God’s kingdom purposes.

The same God who called young Caleb to spy out the land also called eighty-five-year-old Caleb to conquer a mountain named Hebron.  You see, we might grow old and tired, but God is eternal, and His power never wanes.  We might think it was our strength that God used in the days gone by, when we rounded up preschool children, or built homes for the needy, or preached on the streets of a third-world country.  But the reality is, it was all God’s power then, and you can take hold of that same power today, no matter what your physical strength may be.

Do you have God’s heart?

Are you still following the Lord fully?

Then consider making prayer your “Mount Hebron” and take hold of God’s strength and power.  He has kingdom work for you to do.

Deuteronomy 13:4 – You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

Dear Father, We want Your heart.  We want to see the world around us through Your eyes.  We want to feel Your compassion for our neighbors, our friends, and our families.  We want to know how to pray.  We might not be as strong and able as we used to be.  We might get tired and are easily discouraged when we feel that we’re just not as useful to You anymore.  But we realize that is not true, and that You have a place for us in Your kingdom purposes, no matter what our age or physical ability.  Help us to remember that we’re not home yet.  Give us Your strength to follow You fully, wholeheartedly, just like Caleb, and give us Your heart for the lost.  Amen.

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This devotional is an excerpt from our new 30-day devotional on prayer which will release in January 2019. You can reserve your copy by emailing us or messaging us on Facebook. See our other devotionals here.