Deep to Deep

God has gotten a bad rap. Many people believe that the only thing God is concerned with is their behavior. Subconsciously we think that God is millions of miles away holding a telescope in one hand and a paddle in the other just waiting to whack us when we mess up. You didn’t go to church today. Whack. You really looked at that again? Whack. You said what? Whack.

God does care about our actions, but I don’t believe that’s what he thinks about the most. I am convinced that what he really wants is for our hearts to be drawn to him. He wants intimacy. He wants our genuine love and affection. As this happens there is a noticeable shift in how we behave and how we treat people. Our hearts will grow cold if we simply focus on behavior modification.

I was reading the Psalms yesterday when something caught my eye. Actually, it was more like something within me was stirred.

”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.” Psalm 42:6-7

Did you see it? It was the simple statement that, “Deep calls to deep”. It’s the invitation coming from the deep places in the heart of God to the deep places of your heart. It’s the invitation for you to know his heart and to live from the deeper places of yours. The Bible is not simply a book of rules that you are obligated to follow in order to feel good about yourself. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The Bible is an invitation into something extremely good—the heart of God.

Isaiah 55 captures the invitation beautifully.

“Come, all who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.” Isaiah 55:1-3

Those three verses are intriguing. Doesn’t something within you hunger for this? God is inviting us to experience true satisfaction. He’s encouraging us to drink from a different well. He’s calling us to explore and discover. As I sipped on coffee yesterday at a local coffee shop, the whisper of the Holy Spirit was clear, “Gabe, your deepest desire is my deepest desire.” God was stirring the waters of my heart and inviting me to explore what has been planted there. He's challenging me to trade my snorkel gear for scuba gear. I was reminded of one of my favorite verses in Scripture, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.” (Proverbs 20:5)

I sat back in my chair, smiled, and recited something I heard Ray Lewis exclaim on national television the night before, “God is amazing". I invite you to pray the simple prayer that I found myself praying moments later.

God, open my eyes to see the depth of your heart for me, and I ask you to stir the deeper waters of my heart.

Brace yourself.