Listening for the Heart of God – A Reflection on Matthew 12:1-8

This morning, like most mornings, I started my day with the daily Gospel reflection on the Hallow app. It’s become a beautiful habit—one that helps me anchor my day in prayer, peace, and perspective. If you haven’t already tried Hallow, I can’t recommend it enough. It offers not just Scripture readings, but guided prayers, reflections, and a gentle reminder to keep God at the center of your day.

Today’s Gospel reading was Matthew 12:1-8, and it really stirred something in me:

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

In this passage, Jesus and His disciples are walking through grain fields on the Sabbath. The disciples, hungry, begin to pick and eat the heads of grain. The Pharisees, quick to judge, point out that this act was “unlawful” on the Sabbath.

But Jesus, with His profound understanding of God’s heart, responds by reminding them of deeper truths—how David once ate the bread of offering when he was hungry, and how even the priests “break” the Sabbath in service of the temple. He ends with this powerful message: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

This verse hit me hard.

It reminded me that God sees the heart before He sees the rule.

We live in a world that often loves to police each other’s behavior—from social media debates to judgmental glances in the grocery store. We are quick to call out others’ missteps, to “catch” someone breaking a rule, forgetting that behind every action is a story we may not understand.

Jesus challenges us in this passage. He’s saying: Compassion comes first. Understanding matters more than appearances. And mercy outweighs ritual.

Yes, rules have their place. But God’s law isn’t meant to be a trap—it’s meant to lead us toward love. When someone is hungry, hurting, or struggling, we are not called to quote rules at them—we’re called to offer them mercy.

So today, I’m reflecting on this:

Am I more focused on being “right” or being loving?

Do I notice when others are hurting, or am I too caught up in what they “should” be doing?

Do I live a faith that reflects God’s mercy?

I encourage you to take a few quiet minutes today. Listen to the Gospel on the Hallow app if you can. Let Jesus speak to your heart the way He spoke to mine this morning.

Because at the end of the day, the Lord isn’t asking us for perfection—

He’s asking us to be merciful