Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls ... (Ps. 42:7, NIV)
The roar of a waterfall is the sound of water meeting water, as the cascade plunges into the pool below. Prayer is the sound of Spirit meeting Spirit, as the Spirit of God within the believer's heart responds to His voice from heaven. Zen Buddhist masters befuddle their disciples by asking, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" The Christian can answer, Prayer -- because in prayer, God's hand within my heart makes contact with His hand descending from above.
When there is no rain, a waterfall may become a trickle, and the pool below is stagnant and parched. During spiritual dry seasons, it seems God has forgotten or rejected me. But in truth, my very yearnings for God are the stirrings of His Spirit within me, echoing Jesus' anguished, thirsty cry as He hung on the Cross: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?"(Matthew 27:46). He too suffers the depths of my hell.
A pool is made deeper by dredging up boulders and sediment, not by adding more. Similarly, my response to God in prayer cannot be deepened through mere self-discipline, but rather through a heart which continually strives for less of self, and more of Him (John 3:30).
A deep pool can survive a long drought. A deep heart can endure long periods with no outward, visible blessings.
Prayer:Jesus, thank You that through the depths of Your suffering on the Cross, You unlocked the depths of my heart, that I too might receive grace from the Father. Make my heart an ever deeper pool of Your Spirit.
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