Deep Calls to Deep
As I moved from one end of our sweet kitchen to the other, the savory aroma of what was to hit our dinner plates soon began to fill every nook and cranny in the home. While my stomach was quite ready to partake, I knew Ray would be pulling in the driveway any minute and my goal was to have everything ready for his arrival. There was no special occasion or surprise — he was simply coming home from work on a Tuesday and I wanted him to feel welcomed, wanted and at home.
Then it came — a flash followed by pop of lightning. A few seconds later and a deep rumble hugged our side of the mountain. It was loud and unexpected…and oddly enough, calming.
From where we sit on the mountain you can see another mountain in the distance, but when the rains come it’s as if someone picked up a giant eraser and wiped the distant giant clean off the earth. It’s mesmerizing witnessing the disappearance of something so grand, wondering when the pen will retrace the missing ridge line.
As the thunder rolled and the veil of rain descended I continued to stir, simmer and bake all that my family would get to eat in a few moments. Once everything was ready and all that was left to do was wait, I decided to wait on the porch so the thunder could speak even louder to my soul. Years ago, when my youngest was quite small, I remember an exchange we shared on a day that had been more fragile than others. My sweet toddler was having a tough time and instead of losing my patience with him as I had already done, I decided to scoop him up and hold him close on our couch. Then I asked…
Me: Bear who made your hands?
Bear: God did.
Me: And the same one who made your hands made the thunder.
Bear: I want to meet God.
He tucked his small frame into mine and we held each other for the longest time. There was no premeditation on my part for these words to pass between us, they simply just came and while I know they added to his fascination and wonder of our Maker, the words shook me at my core. The One who made my hands, made the thunder.
So as I stood on our porch, staring at the wall of rain before me, I listened while my Maker made melodies that shook the earth. Lightning can be startling, but there is such a steadiness with thunder…like a call…as if deep were calling to deep. And as I sat with this notion reverberating through my chest…I knew it was His deep calling to my deep.
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
Psalm 42:7
My deep…I felt unworthy on my porch listening to His deep call…for my days as of late have been in the shallows. What do I mean by this? I have been more concerned with how I feel, what I need, where I’m going, who I’m talking to, etc. When you have control over your day to day…you’re in the shallows…and the deep requires you to let go of certainty and tread the waters of unknown…but not alone.
In Psalm 46:10 God says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” My mom shared with me recently that the actual translation of the phrase “be still” is to “let go.” It’s hard to let go when you remain in the shallows where you are constantly aware of your footing and where you can move when you want, how you want, where you want…literally. And when your soul is in the shallows, you are constantly aware of YOU and how YOU feel, what YOU want, how someone hurt YOU, or who YOU think YOU need to call, what YOU want to do next, what YOU want to say. You may turn to God with your requests and your thanks, thinking you are responding to His deep call to more… but you remain in the shallows when you make your day more about you and less about Him.
Deep calls to deep.
God made us for more than the shallows have to offer. Are you in the shallows? Does your day begin with what you want, need, think, feel? Or does it begin at His feet, where His robes hang close enough to touch?
God will always choose deep…and He calls us to join Him just as Jesus called Peter to not only swim but stand in the midst of the Sea of Galilee. (Matthew 14:22-33) When you let go of certainty, leaning not on your own understanding but trusting His deep call to you…my friend you are treading water. While darkness works to make the unknown seem dark and scary….the true horrors lie within the shallows for darkness dares not to go near Jesus in the deep. In the deep, where Jesus stands, the wonders and beauty of our Maker are better understood and everything you think you need, want, etc, sinks for you can only hold what matters. And if you have ever tread actual water, you know you keep your hands empty and open, spread wide while you keep your gaze up. When you are treading the depths with your soul…you keep your eyes on Him and your hands open to what He is doing.
Deep calls to deep.
So how’s your footing these days? Some may say they are in deeper water than the shallows…but shallow is shallow if your feet can touch. Where feet touch there can be self-sufficiency, self-security, self-awareness, self-surety — are these bad? No. But these rest where feet touch…and the shallows can only offer you so much. God desires us to be where our own understanding, our own two feet, aren’t sufficient, aren’t secure, aren’t self-centered, aren’t sure…where only He can be sufficient, He is the security, He is the presence, He is the only sure thing.
So are you standing in the shallows? Are you in the deep?
This reach is meant to help you find your footing, and then let it go so you can make your way to where His deep is calling you.
On the mountain, I allowed the magnificence, the awe, the indescribable, immeasurable beauty of my Father in Heaven to have my full attention. There was no prayer request or need to be met, no comfort desired, I simply wanted to sit and take Him in. His deep was calling to my own, and mine desired Him. Pure and simple and yet DEEP.
I love reading through the Psalms — come to think of it I don’t know if I’ve met a person who doesn’t appreciate them. Each chapter seems to drip with words penned by a humble or recently humbled soul and in that we feel less alone. The Psalms contain pain and redemption, sorrow and rejoicing — all in response to something God has done or is about to do. God is never the villain but rather the just and righteous King. Even when a writer of Psalms is going through struggle, they still speak of God’s majesty and absolute rightness.
Some Psalms are simply a call to worship God for who He is, as in Psalm 29
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
Psalm 29:3-4
Calling upon God is exactly what He wants us to do. Bringing our prayer requests for what we need AND our gratitude for what He has done is pleasing to Him. But before we call upon Him, before we ask for more, before we even thank Him, I believe there is monumental value in recognizing who He is and desiring to draw near to Him for that reason alone.
There have been many seasons in my life where most of my prayer life involves gratitude and prayer requests — I am currently in one — selling a house, moving to a new home and supporting my husband while he launches a school has led to many prayers of thanksgiving and requests for what is still needed. But when I stood on the side of the mountain, and listened to the sky speak so deeply it shook the earth, I knew He is worthy of more than I have been offering Him. I have been calling upon Him as my Provider (which He is), my Defender (which He is) but I have not been spending enough time seated at His feet as my King, which He most certainly is.
That night on the mountain, God did not allow the rain, lightning or wind to disturb this moment between His thunder and my soul. His deep calling to my deep. And without a word leaving my lips, I worshipped Him along with creation till the sun peaked through the clouds and the veil of rain parted enough to see the mountain in the distance. It was powerful, deepening my love for Him immeasurably so.
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
Exodus 19:16-17
Moses led the people out of the trembling camp…out of the shallows…to meet with God. Wow. Deep calling to deep. Moses responded to the call, are we? Or do we throw up hallelujahs from the shallows and go about our day?
Deep calls to deep. Are you ready to respond?
A few weeks ago, I overheard my dad praying to God in a way I have never before. He was praying over one of my brothers who was going through a trial of his own, but the majority of the prayer was not focused on the trial, it was focused on God. At one point my dad even said, “To breathe you in, oh Father how wonderful Your aroma must be.” Tears pricked my eyes at those words while the weight of their truth settled in my heart.
May we remember to slow down and sit at the feet of our King, not only when need arises but in the moments too that have no need. Being in His presence is actually enough. The reason we reach for Him is not so He will hand us something else, we reach for Him because it’s Him that we need, we want, we desire. Blessings may follow the soul who is steadfast for the Lord, but the steadfast soul knows while the blessings are amazing, they are not the point — God is. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:13) He is our Maker, our Father, our King and He alone is worthy to be reached for.
His deep is calling. Are you listening from the shallows or are you ready to let go in new depths with Him?
