I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
The verse is a calling upon God with confidence that He will hear, asking Him to incline and turn His ear and bend down to listen to prayer and speech. It is the voice of one who is poor and defenseless and dependent, trusting in God. It is the voice of trust that Christ longs to hear from Israel and from all who will come to Him to be gathered under His mediatorial wings.
To pray the verse is to trust in the Lord as a little child trusts an earthly parent, clinging to the Saviour and letting nothing separate the soul from God. It is to look for mercies and expect mercies and look continually for blessings, seeing and acknowledging them without complaint or fretting or casting blame upon God. It is to say with all the heart in belief, as a sinner and because a sinner, that God is the truth and His Word is to be believed. Through such humble prayer strength from above is gained for work. Through such prayer a case can be committed in faith to the Lord because He cares and judges in truth and righteousness.
The verse carries assurance of protection to all who come to Christ, that He will accept and protect them and show His watchful care for all who trust in Him. He gathers them under His wings as a hen gathers her brood, with the chickens heeding her warning call of peril and running to her protecting wings to be covered with warmth and safety, where she forgets herself and defends them even with her own life. Joined to the plea to hold up the goings in God's paths, to show marvelous lovingkindness in saving by the right hand those who trust from enemies, and to keep the suppliant as the apple of the eye hidden under the shadow of wings, the verse expresses coming to Christ for acceptance and warmth and safety and defense.
The verse is a calling upon God with confidence that He will hear, asking Him to incline and turn His ear and bend down to listen to prayer and speech. It is the voice of one who is poor and defenseless and dependent, trusting in God. It is the voice of trust that Christ longs to hear from Israel and from all who will come to Him to be gathered under His mediatorial wings.
To pray the verse is to trust in the Lord as a little child trusts an earthly parent, clinging to the Saviour and letting nothing separate the soul from God. It is to look for mercies and expect mercies and look continually for blessings, seeing and acknowledging them without complaint or fretting or casting blame upon God. It is to say with all the heart in belief, as a sinner and because a sinner, that God is the truth and His Word is to be believed. Through such humble prayer strength from above is gained for work. Through such prayer a case can be committed in faith to the Lord because He cares and judges in truth and righteousness.
The verse carries assurance of protection to all who come to Christ, that He will accept and protect them and show His watchful care for all who trust in Him. He gathers them under His wings as a hen gathers her brood, with the chickens heeding her warning call of peril and running to her protecting wings to be covered with warmth and safety, where she forgets herself and defends them even with her own life. Joined to the plea to hold up the goings in God's paths, to show marvelous lovingkindness in saving by the right hand those who trust from enemies, and to keep the suppliant as the apple of the eye hidden under the shadow of wings, the verse expresses coming to Christ for acceptance and warmth and safety and defense.