He inclined to me

December 1-4, 2013 - He Inclined to me – Manna by Dorothy Callies

Psalm 40:1 “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined to me, and heard my cry.”

The word, incline means to bend the head or body forward or to lean; to bend from an upright position like [the tree leans to one side]. So we visualized God bend His body and His head with His ear to hear our cry. David knew God would incline, bend down Himself to hear his cry. So David waited patiently for the Lord.

Waiting for the Lord can transform us into a people of growing faith. When we become frustrated with God’s apparent (clear to see) delay in answering our prayer, it is good to remember that He is interested in developing faith and perseverance in our character (James 1:2-4). Wait on the Lord!

We are encouraged to keep our trust in God and experiencing His personal goodness because it is necessary for our perseverance in the faith. Perseverance means to keep at something in spite of difficulties, oppositions or discouragement. It is all about our character that God is interested in us to “be like His Son.”

John, the beloved mentioned that some day, “we shall be like Him” (1John 3:2). Paul mentioned that “God chose us to become like His Son” (Romans 8:29). So how do we become like His Son? Waiting on the Lord does that work, transforming us to be like Him. It is God’s work through the power of Holy Spirit for “we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1Jn.3:2).

Now we know what “waiting on the Lord” does to our character. That should make us want to let Him do His work in us. It is not like we are sitting around and doing nothing. When we wait before the Lord quietly, we allow His presence to influence our lives. Come to think of it! What exactly does the word, wait mean? It means to remain in place in readiness (prepared for use or action) or expectation of something. Await means to be ready for something like [a reward awaits you].

Waiting on the Lord is to be ready for something that God, our Father wants to do great things for us. So let us wait on God today!

Song: O, To Be Like Thee

O, to be like Thee! O, to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

[Lyrics: Thomas Obediah Chisholm, Sing His Praise]