Deep Calls to Deep

“Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.   (John 14:23-27)

God wants to speak to us by his Spirit. He wants to teach us. He wants to lead us into all truth. But we must be listening. He has given us the capacity to hear him and to understand. We must listen with our whole being. We must listen with our hearts as well as our mind. The psalmist wrote:

Deep calls to deep
    at the thunder of your torrents;
all your waves and your billows
    have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.   (Psalm 42:7-8)

The depth of God calls out to our deepest level. He says: “Listen to my words of life.” He speaks to us through his Spirit and we must listen with our spirit, The Apostle Paul wrote:

God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.   (1 Corinthians 2:10-13)

The enemy does not want us to hear God. God is speaking to us, but the enemy will do everything possible to distract us from hearing what is being said. One of his ways is to ramp up the voices of this world. It should come as a surprise to us that Satan controls much of the media and entertainment. We might find these voices stimulating and even exciting for some time, but their effect is not last. Ultimately, they may be depressing. Clearly, today’s news is purposely meant to be depressing.

How do we counteract the distracting voices of this world? We must not focus our attention on them, but, rather, on the word of God. Yet it is impossible to drown out all the distractions of this world. We must be proactive. We must fortify ourselves against them. The Apostle Paul wrote:

But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.   (Jude 1:20-21)