“Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord.” Psalm 130:1.
Surely it is from the depths that one needs to cry unto the Lord, if from any place. The time to call for help is when one is in the greatest need; yet that is just the time that many feel that it is of no use to call. “I have sinned too greatly, and that too in the face of light, for the Lord to pay any attention to me,” is too often the discouraged wail of the sinner. That is a great mistake. “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17. How much more must this be true of the Father of all.
A striking instance in point is the case of Jonah. He was going directly contrary to the commandment of the Lord, running away from Him, trying to get entirely out of His sight, when the Lord arrested him and threw him into the sea, where he was swallowed by a fish. Now indeed he was in the depths. “Then Jonah cried unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said:
“I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and Thou heardest my voice. For Thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about; all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me.... The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever.” Jonah 2:1-6.
It would scarcely be possible for one to be in a worse situation than this. It was most literally from the depths that Jonah cried unto the Lord, and he was heard. And he was in the depths entirely through his own fault, too. Now to see that Jonah was not an exceptional case, but that God just as readily hears all who are in the depths because of their folly, let us read the following words to His praise:
“He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High; therefore He brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.” Psalm 107:9-14.
That is just like the Lord, for “the Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works.” “The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all that be bowed down.” Psalm 145:9, 14.
But we are not yet done with Jonah in the depths. Here comes someone who always sees the difficulties of the situation, and asks, “How could a man live and preserve his consciousness, and be able to pray in the belly of a fish? If that thing really happened, it must have been an exceptional case, and the Lord must have wrought a miracle to keep him alive.”
Most certainly the Lord wrought a miracle in this case, which was just as real as yours is, and it was not an exceptional one by any means. It was written for our sakes, in order that we might have comfort and hope in similar circumstances. It shows us that God does not forsake us even in the depths, and when we are there as the direct result of sinning against Him. He even works a miracle to keep us alive in the depths, that we may call on Him.
What a blessing that story is to the one who believes it. It shows us that no man can get away from the presence of the Lord. Thank God for that. We have all tried it — haven't you? And are you not glad that you did not succeed?
Perhaps you think that you have succeeded all too well, and are now sorrowing over it, imagining that you are lost. Don't believe in it for a moment. Listen to one who knows: “Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:7-10.
No; we cannot get away from the presence of the Lord, even by plunging into the depths. “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:24. Christ has ascended into the heavens, “now to appear in the presence of God for us;” but “now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” Hebrews 9:24; Ephesians 4:9. You get down into the very lowest place, and there you find Christ Jesus the Lord, waiting to lift you up and save you, “for Him no depths can drown.”
“For the Lord will not cast off ever.” Lamentations 3:31. “But,” you say, “He cast Jonah into the sea, into the depths.” Indeed, He did, but it was in order that Jonah might find Him; for bear in mind that God was there first. It was He that delivered up His only begotten Son, casting Him into the depths, yet not casting Him. He sent Him there, in order that He might be recovered. Then we can with good confidence cry unto Him out of the depths. “In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also.” Psalm 95:4. Every atom of matter even in the lowest parts of the earth is charged with force, which is nothing else than the power of the living Christ, “who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God” for our offences. Hebrews 9:14. Go then even into the lowest depths, in your mad attempt to flee from the presence of the Lord, and there you will find the cross of Him who is “mighty to save.”
And He is not there as a detective, on the hunt for evil, and magnifying the smallest thing into the greatest, in order that He may make out a case. “If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.” Psalm 130:3, 4. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” 2 Corinthians 5:19. Therefore “let Israel hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plenteous redemption.” Psalm 130:7. Remember it is hope, not presumption. We must not presume on His mercy, to allow us to continue in sin with impunity; but we must hope in His mercy, that it will deliver us from all our iniquities. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee.” Psalm 50:15.
“But I don't know how to pray; I can't express myself.” Of course not. The Lord knows that. It is He who has told us that “we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” Romans 8:26. Our wants are too great for us to be able to express them, and His gifts too great for us to be able to comprehend them.
“What then shall we do?”
Well, what ought one to do in a case where he does not know anything?
“Evidently the best thing for him to do is to keep still, and listen to someone who does know.”
Exactly that. Therefore the best thing for men to do in the matter of praying is to keep still.
“What! Do you mean to say that a man should never open his mouth in prayer, and that his voice should never be heard?”
Not by any means. The Lord says, “Take with you words, and turn to the Lord.” Hosea 14:2. By all means use words, nevertheless keep still. “The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Habakkuk 2:20. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.
“Be still.” What for? To know that the Lord is God. But if we come to the knowledge that He is God, what will we know about Him? — Just this, that He fills heaven and earth; that there is no place where His Spirit is not. The trouble with us is that we do not keep still long enough to find this out. When we do, then we shall continue to keep still before Him, realizing that since He is everything, we are nothing. “God is in heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:2.
Yes; let your words be few; the fewer the better. Use His words. He says, “Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:10. Keep silence before Him, until you realize that He is “above all, and through all, and in all.” Ephesians 4:6. Let Him fill you with a sense of His greatness, and thereby with a sense of your own needs. Then allow the Holy Spirit to help your infirmity, making intercession for you. When He thus fills you, your utterance will be but the breathing of the Holy Spirit in you. Why should not your prayers, and everybody's prayers, be inspired of the Holy Spirit, just as much as were the prayers of David? Indeed they ought to be, for we are told, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” 1 Peter 4:11. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” Colossians 3:16. Then you will always have all confidence in calling upon Him, because “He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13.
