Psalm 42:7 “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.”
Sometimes when I pray for people I think of this verse and bear in mind a particular thought. The depth of understanding of God can seem unfathomable to me, the further I look into His Word and meditate in my heart, the more I realize I am way over my head. Whether I have thought correctly is one thing but from a simplistic point of view I draw a conclusive idea in hope.
The ones I pray for have a depth to them that I cannot see or comprehend. I can see the fruit of their lives and speculate as to where their hearts are at, but within the recesses of their spiritual condition, only God knows where He has them.
The depth of God’s wisdom I cannot comprehend. The way His Spirit works is visible to a certain extent and there are clues to His workings that indicate there is far more going on that I cannot see—there is deep wisdom yet to be discovered.
The depth of peoples position can only be called to by the depth of God’s wisdom, and so I pray for them; that they might respond to His call and walk in that call, even if they don’t fully understand why.
My prayer is that for you.
I cannot grasp the magnitude of your position in Christ, I can only see the superficial fruit of your actions. Sometimes the Lord will reveal greater depth of understanding, particularly when I’m discipling someone, but even that revelation is not fully grasped until the person responds in astonishment as if God revealed something He shouldn’t have known.
I would be foolish to think I can know the depths of God’s countenance or fully appreciate His works, for those who have alluded to grasping this knowledge, they will be reminded of their human frailty.
Job 38:1-7 “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
“Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Imagine yourself in Job’s position at that moment, as the Lord began to open up a little insight into the mystery of His power, just think how small he began to feel.
The moment we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, we are reminded that we would do well to consider our low and foolish position.
God’s Unfathomable Depth
Since I wasn’t there when God laid the foundations of the Earth, how can I understand the spiritual foundation that He is establishing in other people?
The reality of it is, I can’t.
I can see evidence of that which has already been laid yet I can’t fully appreciate the process of God’s work.
This is a predominant reason why judging one another is given a very strict criteria. I can see how a believers life may violate God’s Word, so I can use God’s Word to correct them in love. If my life demonstrates this same error, I must first bring myself into alignment with God’s counsel before I concern myself with another. The only way to acquire this knowledge is to draw near in wisdom and truth. The closer I get to God, the more vulnerable I become. The situation that seems unattainable or overwhelming suddenly appears less significant in breadth and stature, and the recourse becomes less muddled and more specific.
If we can’t fully comprehend the magnitude of God’s majesty, we should be careful in how we draw conclusions.
Obscuring Knowledge
I love the question that God poses in Job 38:2–when the scripture is held up to various sources it reads; “who is this who ‘obscures my plans’, ‘questions my wisdom’, ‘darkens counsel’, ‘darkens the divine plan’, ‘devises doctrine’, or ‘belittles my advice’ with such ignorant words.” NLT
Do you ever notice how much talking we do in the midst of trials, we seem to think that if we can reason our way through the difficulty we will somehow navigate ourselves out of the storm. It is the endless speculation of God’s divine plan that causes a darkening of understanding, if we direct our thoughts away from His Word. We question God’s intent or motives, we question His power, or love, we even question our own salvation if we draw conclusions from a position of lowliness or from our own understanding.
1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
Did you ever consider the thought that God is withholding the reasons for the trial so that you learn to trust Him?
We can get so caught up in focusing on ourselves, we can forget to look up and just say, “Lord, I don’t know why your taking me through this but I know you are faithful.”
Psalm 42:11 “Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.“
Hope Rises
It may seem like the breakers and waves of God’s injustice keep breaking over you with unrelenting force. You must remember that from the depths of seeming darkness, he raises us back into His light. Like a baptism of washing and regeneration, the Lord acts in love and is purposeful in His process.
The Lord is just with our cause…He formed us with intent and He promises to complete His plans faithfully.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 “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.”
As God works in you, listen to His call. He does not abandon you to your fate but will lead you if you will listen.
As He leads, trust Him with all that you have—knowing He works in you for an eternal purpose that will have no end.
U.T. 