Deep calls unto Deep -
Psalms 42:7 says, “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts; all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.”
I believe that the author of Psalms forty-two penned the words “deep calleth unto deep” because he recognized the deep spiritual hunger that resides in every human heart. He also recognized the persistent call of God that is tugging on our spirit inviting us to come closer to the Lord, to come deeper into the things of the Spirit.
The hunger and spiritual craving of our heart, like physical hunger, can be ignored for only so long. Eventually we must come to terms with the deep yearnings of our spirit (which can only be satisfied by an intimate encounter with the presence of God) and begin to answer the gentle urgings of the Holy Spirit.
Hunger is defined as both a strong desire or need for nourishment as well as the discomfort, weakness, or pain caused by a prolonged lack of food. Man experiences hunger in every level of his life: physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, sexually, financially, and spiritually.
Physically, the pangs of hunger originate when the blood-sugar or glycogen levels drop in our body. Glycogen is produced by the liver and gives us the necessary glucose and carbohydrates that our body needs to generate physical strength. Physical hunger is often accompanied with various sensations such as weakness, dizziness, anxiety, a loss of concentration or mental focus, and grumpiness.
Spiritual hunger operates the same way. If we fail to feed our spirit the nourishment that he requires, we feel similar sensations of weakness, uncertainty, double-mindedness, and a lack of purpose or energy about life. Spiritual hunger is just as real as its physical counterpart, and can only be satisfied by an intimate encounter with the presence of God.
A surging mass of living water -
“Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts...”
In both instances, the word “deep” is translated from the Hebrew noun #8415 “tehowm” which refers to a deep place, an abyss (an immeasurable deep chasm, depth, or void), as well as a surging mass of water that rises from some deep, subterranean place.
There are depths or dimensions of God’s nature and God’s love that the Holy Spirit is inviting us to explore. There are also hidden chasms in the depths of our spirit that can only be filled with God. The author of Psalms forty-two is writing about the heart of God reaching out to touch the deepest parts of our spirit being.
The deep waters of God’s Spirit are calling out to fill the deep places of your heart.
The Gesenius Lexicon says “wave calleth unto wave, i.e. wave follows wave without intermission.”
There is a place in God where wave after wave of God’s supernatural influence can come over you, again and again, until you become satiated by His presence, overwhelmed with emotional rapture, and filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Yielding to this call of Spirit is the doorway that leads to a place of fellowship with the Lord.
Can we live in God’s presence? Yes! Can we really walk in His glory and have an intimate relationship with His Spirit? Emphatically, Yes!
In fact, Psalms 42:2 in the Amplified says, “My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face (literally, the presence) of God?”
Our inner man thirsts for the presence of God. It is the cry of our heart. It is the hunger of our soul. We were created to walk in an intimate and unbroken fellowship with the Lord. To live any other way will leave us defeated, unsettled, unsatisfied and despondent about the purpose of our life.
So, God continually calls unto your heart with words of love and acceptance, urging you to open up every chamber of your heart by inviting the Holy Spirit to come and dwell permanently in your spirit.
The call of God -
The word “calleth” is translated from the Hebrew verb #7121 “qara” which means to call unto, to summon, to invite. The depths of God’s Spirit is calling unto the depths of your spirit. You can feel the Spirit’s gentle tug beckoning you to come deeper, summoning you to a place of fellowship.
The Strong’s Concordance says that “qara” also conveys the idea of someone accosting you by boldly and aggressively calling you to come closer and meet with him.
While God never forces His Will upon anyone, you can still feel the Spirit’s tug as He gently pulls on your heart to come closer and to meet with Him. You can’t ignore it, you can’t hide from it. It is the quiet but assertive call of God that continually and aggressively invites you to come deeper in His love, to yield your heart even more to the waves of His glory.
And where does this encounter take place? “At the noise of thy waterspouts.”
A waterspout is a spiraling motion of wind, called a vortex, that rotates over a body of water such as a lake or a river, drawing up vast quantities of liquid and condensate to the top of it’s funnel which it then rains down in mighty torrents upon the earth.
In Acts 2:2, the Holy Spirit is likened to a rushing mighty wind, a supernatural vortex of the Spirit, “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” And then verse four says that the disciples were all filled to overflowing with the Holy Ghost.
When the churning vortex of God’s Spirit touches the depths of your heart, spiritual hunger ensues and you long for an encounter with God’s presence.
The word used to translate “waterspouts” is the Hebrew #6794 “tsinnuwr” which literally means a hollow conduit, a gutter or watercourse. In other words, the rotating action of the wind creates a hollow vacuum at the center of the waterspout that sucks in everything in its path and draws it closer.
You can feel the pull of the Holy Spirit stirring in your heart, compelling you to come closer and closer to God’s presence.
At the same time, there is a hollow core in the center of your spirit, designed by God to funnel the waters of the Spirit to the rest of your being. It is the place where the yearnings of the Spirit are heard and the deep abiding hunger for spiritual relationship is experienced.
There exists in the heart of every man an empty place, a vacuum, a void or barren space that yearns to be filled. Turned off by religion, man tries to fill this void with all sorts of worldly activities (sex, alcohol, drugs, money, fame), but never reaches a place of satisfaction or fulfillment. Because man’s spiritual hunger can never be satisfied with carnal things, it can only be nourished by a real, tangible encounter with the presence of God.
When we shut ourselves off from the presence of God and seek other substances to fill the void in our spirit, we wander the earth desperately trying to quench our heart’s thirst. But nothing can satisfy your heart apart from an intimate relationship with the Lord. Nothing can quench your spirits thirst but a personal, living encounter with the presence of God.
“Deep calls unto deep...”
Intimacy with God -
Intimacy can only be achieved through self-disclosure and candor. Self-disclosure is defined as the sharing of one’s true feelings and thoughts with someone else. It is the act or process of revealing and uncovering what has previously been concealed and hidden from view.
There is a type of healing that only takes place when you learn how to live an open and transparent life with the Lord, when you allow the healing streams of God’s grace to freely flow into the deepest recesses of your soul setting your heart free from the lies of your past.
In John 4:23-24 Jesus said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
The Father is seeking to find genuine worshippers, those who will open up their hearts and learn to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
The word “truth” is translated from the Greek noun #225 “aletheia” and means “truth” in the sense of nothing hidden and nothing concealed. It comes from the Greek adjective #227 “alethes” which literally means to have no secrets, to have nothing hidden from view.
Vine’s Dictionary says that “aletheia” signifies the reality lying at the basis of an appearance. Not merely ethical “truth”, but “truth” in all of its fullness, the full breadth of its scope.
In other words, God is leading us to live in “truth,” to honestly and transparently open our hearts in worship to God.
Human beings have become experts at hiding behind lies and skilled at putting on false appearances. We think that it is easier to believe a lie than it is to face the stark reality of our true feelings and our true nature.
Isaiah 28:15 describes the wounded heart that is shut off from truth when it says, “...for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.” Philipp's translation says, “...we have hidden behind a lie.”
Why are we hiding behind lies? Why are we running away from the presence of God instead of running to Him? It’s because we carry a lot of guilt and shame about our past and we feel that is easier to hide behind a lie than face the reality that is causing our shame and guilt.
But God is not interested in having a superficial relationship with your heart. He wants to penetrate the depths of your being and heal the deepest wounds of your heart.
The dictionary defines “superficial” as something that is limited to the surface area only, concerned with and understanding only what is apparent and obvious, that which is shallow, not profound, and lacking any true significance. Do these words describe your relationship with the Lord?
God is looking for a deep, personal, and intimate relationship with your life. But man’s deep seated fear tries to keep all his relationships on a superficial and shallow level. So, deep calls unto deep. The Lord bypasses your mind (where the walls of intellectual fear exist) and cries directly to your heart. Will you open up your heart? Will you yield to the Spirit’s penetration and allow Him to touch the deepest parts of your being?
The deep, hidden secrets of your heart can never be understood or overcome by pretending that they don’t exist. The only way that you can get past the guilt and shame of your past is to open your heart to the healing light of God’s love and allow Him to touch the most tender parts of your life, healing you and setting you free.
When you finally take off the mask that has been hiding your true feelings and begin to talk to Lord like you are communicating with your best friend, God will cause you to know the truth about your personality and the truth about your life.
Why do you behave the way that you do? Why do you react to certain situations in a manner that seems so out of character with the rest of your personality? What is holding you back from achieving all that your heart desires? All of these things will be uncovered and eventually healed when you learn to open your heart to the Lord and allow Him to touch the deepest parts of your soul.
The depths of God’s heart are crying out to the depths of your heart.
Thirsty for God -
Isaiah 55:2 says, “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?...”
Isaiah was asking the question, why are you working so hard and labouring for things that can never satisfy your soul? Why are you spending your days in pursuit of a life that fails to quench your inner mans thirst, when God is inviting you to come closer and experience what true life is all about?
The Amplified translates Isaiah 55:1 by saying, “Wait and listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy [priceless, spiritual] wine and milk without money and without price [simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing].”
In reality, the Holy Spirit is bringing the waters of God to you. All that is required is that you recognize the inner thirst that fills your soul, and then surrender yourself to accept the blessing that His love and forgiveness affords.
Psalms 42:1-2 says, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?”
Like a deer that is panting and longing to quench his thirst in the cool, clear waters of the mountain brooks, your soul hungers and pants after the waters of life that flow freely from the mountain of God.
Psalms 42:5 expresses the author’s deep hunger for God’s presence and what motivated him to write this psalm, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance (#6440 “paniym” which refers to the presence or the face of God).”
In other words, Psalm 42 was written because the author recognized the deep hunger and thirst for God’s presence that existed in his own soul. His soul was cast down because he walked away from the presence of God.
Why is your soul cast down -
The reason many are cast down and disquieted in their soul is because they have either walked away from the presence of the Lord, or they have never learned to open their hearts to the Lord’s presence and grant Him complete access to the depths of their being. So, they feel cast down and depressed in their soul.
The word “cast down” comes from the Hebrew #7817 “shachach” which means to be depressed, bowed over, reduced, weakened, and despairing. This definition sounds like the pains of hunger.
A soul that is cut off from the presence of God will be a depressed and disquieted soul. A soul that is removed from fellowship with the Lord will feel weak, upset, confused and lost. Nothing will satisfy it. No accomplishment or success in life will make it feel complete.
The word “disquieted” is translated from the Hebrew verb #1993 “hamah” and means to be in a great commotion or tumult, to rage, to growl, mourn, and moan. It comes from a Hebrew root that means to be disturbed, distracted, and discomfited.
The absence of God’s presence produces a sad moaning in your soul. It is a deep and profound yearning that stays with you all through the day. You can’t get away from it, so you busy your hands to try and drown out your soul’s misery, but it stays with you every place you go.
The PBV translation says, “...why art thou so full of heaviness?” Moffatt says, “... why so despairing?” Harrison says, “why are you so despondent.... so agitated... so depressed?” Tay’s translation says, “why be discouraged and sad?”
Do these words describe your condition? Do you feel sad and depressed, even though everything around you is bright and cheery? Do you carry a negative feeling and thoughts of despondency in your soul? There is a cause for everything. And God has the answer for every condition that plagues your life.
Your soul is sad and full of heaviness because it has been cut off from the presence of God. You feel agitated and depressed because your heart hungers to be satiated with the shekinah glory of God. Nothing else will do! Nothing else will satisfy!
In Psalms 42:4 the author tells us what his life used to be like. The Amplified says, “These things I [earnestly] remember and pour myself out within me: how I went slowly before the throng and led them in procession to the house of God [like a bandmaster before his band, timing the steps to the sound of music and the chant of song], with the voice of shouting and praise, a throng keeping festival.”
In other words, at one time the author of Psalms forty-two would lead the procession of praise to the house of God. There was a time when he would unabashedly shout unto God with a heart filled with thanksgiving and praise. So, what happened?
Like all of us, the author allowed the cares of his life to weigh him down until he no longer cultivated the presence of God in his life. He began to fix his eyes on all the things that were going wrong in his life instead of fellowshipping in God.
Verse three says, “My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? He took his eyes off of the Lord and instead focused on his problems. He began to listen to the tormenters as they asked, Where is your God? And that made his soul depressed and sad.
But no matter how sad and depressed his soul was, he could never get away from the Spirit’s tug on his heart. Deep is continually calling unto deep. God is constantly calling for you to open up your heart and to yield it once again to the Lord.
A sustained relationship with the Lord -
What kind of relationship do you have with the Lord? Are you satisfied in your walk with the Lord; or, do you seek greater fulfillment?
“Symbiosis” is defined as a close and prolonged relationship of mutual benefit or dependence between two separate parties. In biology, symbiosis is defined as a biological relationship in which two species live in close proximity to each other and interact regularly in such a way as to benefit one or both of the organisms.
When both partners in a relationship are truly benefited by their coupling, this kind of symbiosis is known as “mutualism”. But another type of “symbiosis” exists which is called “parasitism” and is used to describe a relationship in which only one of the partners benefits. A parasite is an organism that obtains nourishment or other life support from a host but is never beneficial to the host.
Unfortunately, many christians have a “parasitic” relationship with the Lord. They only turn to Him when they are in need and desperately require His help. They have never learned to cultivate a mutual relationship with the Lord, where they are giving as much to Him as He gives to them. And this is very unfortunate.
Why is your soul cast down? Why is your soul disquieted within you? Because you have cut yourself off from the presence of the Lord.
Psalms 107:9 says that God, “...satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” God can satisfy the hunger of your soul if you will only yield it to Him.
The word translated “satisfieth” comes from the Hebrew verb #7646 “saba” and means to be completely satisfied or satiated, filled to the full. God wants you completely satisfied and satiated with His glory.
The word “longing” comes from the Hebrew verb #8264 “shaqau” which literally means running to and fro because one is thirsty and eager to satisfy his appetite. It is used to describe a bear that angerly roams the woods seeking to satisfy his hunger, and locusts that move from field to field with an unsatiatable appetite.
Is your soul hungry? Are you angerly searching the earth for fulfillment and gratification of your needs and desires? Then learn the lesson that Psalms forty-two is trying to teach you. A hungry soul can only be truly satisfied through an intimate and personal relationship with the presence of God.
Deep is calling unto deep! So, yield to it and see where the Spirit takes you.
(See notes: Conscience, Led by the Spirit, Groanings of the Spirit, Holy Spirit)
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