A kind of continuing thought from last week’s reflection, ENGULFED IN DEEP WATERS, that speaks to my heart is the phrase “deep calls to deep.” As I soaked up the beauty of the deep waves at Lake Ontario, with the forceful wind making the waves deeper at the lake, I was reminded of that phrase. “Deep calls to deep” is something my publisher shared with me a year ago while I was also at Lake Ontario working on my last book, God’s Compassion Illuminated. It comforts and encourages my faith journey.
The phrase comes from Psalm 42, which I encourage you to read in its entirety by clicking the hyperlink. Here is part of it:
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
–Psalm 42:5-8 (NIV)
We learn that the Psalmist’s soul is downcast, but he knows hope is found in God, and he has to continue to praise Him even in the pain. While remembering God’s faithfulness in providing and His love that is always with him, he knows he will make it through the deep waters.
Do you need that powerful reminder too?
I see two main ways to view this particular verse:
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
*It is a cry from the heart when we go through troubled times.
During the deep, rough waters of life, when the waves and breakers cover us, we can cry out to God and know that He is with us. He will never leave us alone. Our deepest needs are met with God’s all-sufficient presence and help.
*It is a call to deep intimacy with God, where spirit meets spirit.
God made us all to have a deep desire for God. It is the “hole” or emptiness we feel in our hearts until we come to Christ. Our faith usually starts in our heads but needs to move to our hearts. As God takes possession of our hearts, we are called into deeper and deeper intimacy with Him. It is more of a spirit connection. Words might even be replaced with just a being, a oneness with Him. God often calls us to go deeper in relationship with Him as He helps us face different things that might need exploring in our lives.
What is the “deep” in your life that God is calling you to face?
-To forgive yourself for past mistakes and hurts?
-To enter into a more personal relationship with Him?
-To have total trust in Him to provide what you need at the perfect time?
I pray that God will help you face the deep of your life as you step out in faith to take His hand. The waves and breakers of His peace, love, joy, comfort, and presence will engulf you in the deep waters. Know that God is mightier than the deep waves and breakers of the waterfalls in our lives! As you face the deep of your life, may you experience the deepness of perfect unity with God’s presence all the way to the core of your being.
REFLECTION:
What deep water has God helped you through?
What deep water do you need to face with God’s help?
Photo courtesy of Brett Jordan under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)
Be encouraged this week to experience…
…God with you in the deep waters of life.
…God calling you to go deeper in intimacy with Him.
…God is mightier than the waves and breakers of the waterfalls of life.
The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is mighty. –Psalm 93:3-4 (NIV)
