Deep Calls to Deep

A Reflection on God’s Comforting and Inspiring Presence in Nature

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. …Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; 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 42:5, 7-8, NRSV).

Some of my most treasured experiences have come from sitting by the lake in northern Wisconsin, watching yet another beautiful sunset and sharing the moment with the love of my life. With so many troubles and concerns always on my mind—especially for my students, colleagues, and friends who have been suffering for years in Myanmar, Thailand, and Eastern Congo—taking time in nature is so therapeutic.

When I contemplate the wonders and beauty of God’s creation, listen to the cry of the gulls soaring overhead, and almost feel the velvet-like softness of the rippling waves gently rolling to the shore, I feel peaceful once again.

What is it about being in nature that draws me to God and transforms me? How is it that I can start out weary and drained and leave renewed and reinvigorated?

“Deep calls to deep,” the Psalmist wrote. I get it. Somehow in the presence of God’s handiwork, it becomes easier for me to perceive God’s presence. I can believe again that I am not alone in this world and that there is something good and hopeful that is worth believing in and working for.

In this vision of goodness, beauty, kindness, and love, my desire to participate in God’s sacred love flow is rekindled. And while I cannot say what hope there may be for those I care and feel so much compassion for, I know that I cannot turn away from their pain or mine. I cannot carry all the burdens that so easily overwhelm me. It’s too much. But I can continue to care and to love to the best of my ability. I can offer whatever I have to those who need a helping hand, a smile, a word of encouragement, a relevant Bible verse, or just a listening ear. I can let God’s love flow through me, trusting that the Holy Spirit will use me if I simply make myself available within my limits.

I think the secret of this kind of renewal of the heart and mind is this. The more I lift my eyes to look at my Creator and contemplate the goodness in creation, the more my despair dissipates. The more my angst over my powerlessness recedes, and the more comfortable I am with my limitations. It’s not resignation or surrender, it’s acceptance and trust.

I have such limited ability to save others anywhere near as much as I would like to. But by re-grounding myself in God and renewing my weary and broken heart, I find new strength to reach out once again and be present to those in need. In those moments of deep connection with my Creator, the Holy Spirit reminds me that God is still actively at work in the world for good, and I still can participate and contribute, despite my frailty and limitations. And that is enough.