Only God can accurately judge the human heart.
Not me. Not you. Not even the people we read about in Scripture.
In fact, the Bible tells us we don’t even fully know our own hearts, because sin corrupted the heart at the fall. Jeremiah 17:9 says it plainly:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
We often assume righteousness is proven by outward behavior, but Scripture tells a different story. God sees what we cannot see — the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us:
“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
Proverbs 21:2 echoes this truth:
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.”
And Psalm 44:21 adds:
“He knows the secrets of the heart.”
God’s omniscience allows Him to judge motives, intentions, wounds, struggles, repentance, turmoil, transformation — all the things human eyes completely miss.
Which brings me to Lot.
If you read Genesis 19, you see a man living in Sodom who makes a choice so horrifying it makes me sick every time:
A violent mob pounds on his door, demanding to sexually assault his houseguests — angels of the Lord — and Lot offers them his daughters instead.
As a Kingdom Woman disciple of Christ, a biblical coach, and someone who cares deeply about women being seen and protected, this story turns my stomach. His behavior is shocking. Unthinkable. Appalling.
And yet, Peter later calls Lot righteous.
2 Peter 2:6-8 says Lot was:
“sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him… tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.”
That’s not what we assume when reading Genesis. But God knew his heart. God saw past the mess. God saw past the fear-based decisions. God saw the torment living beneath the surface.
Peter continues in 2 Peter 2:9:
“So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials…”
Jesus gives us that same comfort in John 16:33:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
We will face trials. Darkness. Cultures that war against our souls. Seasons where we don’t fully understand ourselves, our motives, or even our hearts.
But God knows. God sees. God rescues. God restores.
And not only that — when we believe in Jesus, we are reborn by God Himself. John 1:13 declares:
“They are reborn — not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
As disciples of Jesus, we now carry the Spirit of Christ within us. Ezekiel 36:26 promises this transformation:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you…”
So even when I don’t understand my own heart, I rest in this truth:
God knows me better than I know myself. He has given me the heart of Jesus. A full spiritual transplant. A redeemed heart, shaped by Christ-centered discipleship and Spirit-led obedience.
Lot reminds me that God’s judgment is not shallow like ours. God doesn’t misunderstand the godly in the middle of their trials. He rescues them. He refines them. He strengthens them for His purpose and mission.
And that comforts me more than I can say.
Praise God for rescuing the righteous, restoring what is broken, and seeing our hearts with perfect clarity.
Even when the world around us is a mess — or we ourselves feel like one — God is faithful.
He knows how to rescue Kingdom Women and all who walk in biblical discipleship, just like He did with Lot.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
When have you judged someone (or yourself) by outward behavior, only to later realize God was doing something deeper in the heart?
Where do you see evidence of God rescuing you or refining you in the middle of trials or surrounding darkness?
How does trusting God as the Judge of your heart change the way you walk forward in discipleship, purpose, and Kingdom mission?