Every disaster, every death, every void and place of emptiness, every storm, every heartache, every example of wickedness, all call for the same thing; the “Deep”. The depth, the resources, of God’s power.
Every time God’s will is done in Heaven BUT NOT on earth – the cry goes forth, “where is the power of God?!” ALL creation groans in travail…calling to the Deep…”where is God’s power?” (Romans 8:18-26) “with groans too deep for words…” Why? Because everything God created is “wired” to the Deep power of God. Creation knows Who made it and from where its source of life flows. It knows Who to “cry out” to when life doesn’t flow as it should.
“Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the earth and all living things join in.
Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
Let the hills sing out their songs of joy
before the Lord.” (Psalm 98:7-9 NLT)
“The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture,
and the hillsides blossom with joy.
The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
and the valleys are carpeted with grain.
They all shout and sing for joy.” (Psalm 65:12-13 NLT)
“But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”
He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers .” (Luke 19:39-40 NLT)
Deep calls to Deep.
When God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), He wasn’t referring to His physical form, or ours. He was speaking of an entire package; mankind created in the image of God. So He created man as a triune being; spirit, soul, and body.
Jesus spoke of man on 3 dimensions, as well as did Paul.
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24 ESV)
Note Jesus said, “…the true worshipers WILL worship…” True worshipers CHOOSE, an act of their will, mind, and even emotions, to worship God with all they have; spirit, soul, and body.
Paul said, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 ESV)
Spirit, soul, and body. Man IS A SPIRIT, he HAS A SOUL, and he LIVES IN A BODY. And created as we were, God “wired” our hearts, the depth of our being, to cry out to Him, call to Him, when there is a void or need in our life. Whether we realize the “call” is going out, or not, He knows.
“…for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:8 NLT)
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.” (Matthew 6:31-32 NLT)
Deep calls to Deep.
King David, the Prophet/Psalmist, spoke of the deep calling to deep: “My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls.” (Psalm 42:6-7 ESV) He said he’d remember God from the land of Jordan (low places), Hermon (highest places), and Mount Mizar (just your average size mound, nothing spectacular). In other words, “God, I will remember You, my soul will cry out to You, my Deep calls to Your Deep, in my lowest, highest, or just plain ordinary moments. I am connected to You!”
When God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was without form and void. The Spirit of God hovered over the Deep, brooding, incubating God’s new creation. God knew the cry of the Deep and responded with His Word; “Light be!”, and light was.
When Adam was alone, with no helper suitable for him, his Deep, the void in his life he didn’t even know he had, called to God’s Deep, His power, and God created again.
Abel’s blood cried out to God’s Deep from the ground. God heard, and responded.
Deep calls to Deep.
Throughout God’s word there are examples of this principle: Deep calls to Deep. God’s Deep calls to our Deep, and our Deep calls to His.
When the children of Israel were about to be delivered from Egypt, Deep called to Deep. “Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.” (Exodus 3:7-9 ESV)
The Spirit of God was resting, brooding over the nation as a result of the call of the Deep. And God’s word, His answer to the call, brought deliverance.
The woman with the flow of blood was in desparate need of a miracle. “And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5:25-34 ESV)
Her need, her Deep, responded to God’s Deep when she heard about Jesus! Faith came alive and God created again!
God is rich to all who call upon Him (Romans 10:12). He never runs out, His supply is inexhaustible! He hears our cry, He knows our needs, He loves us so!
Where is the power of God? Has it diminished through the ages? Is Heaven broke? Did God have to break up the streets of gold, and sell the gold to make the house payment?
NO!
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! He still hears our Deep call to Him. Our heart, our Deep still hears His answer call to us.
Our response needs to be like that of the woman in Mark 5: “all I need to do is touch Jesus… I only need Him. I only need to believe.”
God is. And He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him; who answer the call from His Deep.
Deep calls to Deep.
Do you hear the call? God hears you!
Jan Grace 