Sermon of Pastor T.
J. de Ruiter
Psalm 42:7 "Deep calls unto deep at the thunder of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me." (NIV)
INTRODUCTION
Did David write this Psalm while he rested for a while in the Hermon mountains from his kingly work and duties; see verse 6? Did he, already after a few days, became homesick for Jerusalem: "Therefore I will remember You from the land of Jordan..."
Was he, while he was writing the next verse of this psalm, sitting at one of the springs of the Jordan and did he see how the water was tumbling over the cliffs, roaring down rocks and stones? Some are, however, of opinion that the sentence, "All Your waves and billows are gone over me..." refers to the sea. The Hebrew word that is translated by 'billows' can also mean breakers, the waves that run on the coastal shores; as translated in the N.I.V. Bible translation.. In that case David could have stood in the sea, while the waves washed over him. This last interpretation has appealed enormously to me as I shall make this clear in this sermon.
NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD
Psalm 42: 8 "All Your waves and breakers have swept over me."
I will be open and plain about it: Under the influence of the education in the reformed tradition, I did consider this verse as an expression of the suffering that came from Gods hand over David and Gods people.. I thought -like so many- that this picture of wild waves, which David felt coming over him, referred to suffering, temptations and oppressions. I actually remembered that we pulled a gloomy face when we read these lines in the psalm. Yes, I know it, verse 9 is a 'heavy' verse: "Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" But, please, pay attention to it that it is a question, which is quickly driven away by the spirit of hope, faith and praise; verse 11, "Put your hope in God; for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God."
This is interesting, the word translated as 'mourning' can actually also mean 'dressed in a mourning garment'. Generations of reformed christians did actually do this literally -they went to church sunday after sunday, year after year, in black clothes! In the context we see however clearly that the writer only experienced a moment of gloominess and of doubt! I could wish that the christians of the heavy reformed tradition, dressing themselves in black as if they were going to a funeral, would be as obedient to other biblical admonitions and instructions!
So, when I recently looked more carefully to the context of verse seven, I came to a different interpretation and understanding.
Look at Psalm 42:5. David remembers the days that he walked in front of Gods people praising God. Look at verse 6, which certainly is not gloomy and melancholic by tone. "Put your hope in God; for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God."
Now also look with me to the verse immediately following vers 7, "By day the Lord directs His love; at night his song is with me." Do you see it? David had a glorious sense of Gods grace, care and nearness. When he became restless inside, he quickly conquered the problem of inner instability and restlessness with his faith in God. He said to himself: "My soul, glorify and praise God, don't act as if you have no loving God and are not anointed by His Spirit Yes, even in the night he began to sing praises to God, thereby overcoming sadness and depressiveness!
All at once I saw a new meaning, which David would express with this picture, hidden in this poetic language of verse 7. Instead of concentrating according to traditional interpretation on waves of sadness and heaviness -like reformed interpreters did- I began to think about refreshing, purifying and strengthening waves as pictures of the effects of the Spirit of God, tumbling over his soul again and again. I saw David. like myself, when I was a little boy, standing in the sea, playing with the waves after a warm, tiring day. I dived into the sea and let wave after wave refresh and cleanse me! I tell you it was refreshing, one felt like being 'born again'!
Certainly, it is not unlikely, that David, writing these words, was really thinking of such an experience in the sea. He could have stood in the sea, for instance on the beach of Jaffa, Akko or Tyrus. For David such an experience could have been an illustration of his spiritual experience of God and His anointing. He needed God, His presence, power and strength. His soul was longing for God like a gasping, thirsty deer for water!
Know this today: God wants to pour out waves of powerful healthy refreshing power over his children, full of His presence - no destructive or threatening waves!
Let us now look at five waves, which God wants his people to experience:
1. The wave of forgiveness. 2,. The wave of reconciliation.
3, The wave of the presence of God. 4,. The wave of soul-cleansing. 5,
The wave of anointing power.
1. LET THE WAVES OF FORGIVENESS WASH OVER YOU
This is the first wave, the one of the forgiving
grace of God. The forgiving grace of God will wash your soul clean from
guilt before Him as you throw yourself by faith in the atonement of Jesus
Christ in the merciful arms of God. You will really experience the soul-healing
power and refreshing strenghth of divine mercy. Out of the depth of the
consciousness of guilt, with fear for the divine, eternal punishment upon
sin, comes, rising over your soul and pouring itself out all over you from
the divine heart, the wave of forgiveness! All guilt is washed away by
the glorious, blessing and healing wave of forgiveness. This is the wave
of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ! Yes, let this wave refresh and
cleanse over and over-again!
2. LET THE WAVE OF RECONCILIATION WASH OVER YOU.
From the depth of alienation and enmity with God
-see Roman 5:10- there rises the second wave, the one of the recovery of
the lov-relationship with God. You are lifted up in a relationship with
God, restored to fellowship with Him. That experience is so delightful,
so refreshing for the soul. You know yourself surrounded by the love of
God. All enmity that ever existed in your heart towards God is now washed
away by his loving, graceful presence. In that wave the song is born in
your heart: "Abba, Father, You alone I belong to.." Yes, let this wave
of reconciliation wash over you-again and again. Open your heart and say:
"O, God, I let myself be reconciled with You! Thank You for your love and
grace. Thank You for Jesus!"
3. LET THE WAVE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD WASH OVER YOU.
David wanted Gods presence more then anything else. He threw himself again and again in the wave which carried the presence of the Lord. Being reconciled you open your heart for the presence of God. As you love God, you always want to be in His presence.
We sing that song: "I always want to be with You, o Lord..." I do think that God also wants to open Himself, so that we know His presence with us. God can be experienced as waves, rolling over your soul. Please read Psalm 98:7, "Let the sea resound, and everything in it,... before the Lord, for He comes ..." The sea, with her roaring waves, that come rushing with regularity, washing and cleansing, is a powerful illustration of God and his blessings;. Read vers 7 in Psalm 42: "Deep calls to deep.." Between the waves are the deep places. David noticed that and it was as if the waves were called. What was called - may I use my imagination? This: "I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming -watch out!"
David, with his heart and ear focused on God,
perceived in the calling noise of the waves Gods calling: "I'm coming,
throw yourself in my rivers or waves of salvation, love, refreshment and
strength...!" Yes, let these waves of Gods presence wash over your soul!
Throw yourself into these waves without any reservation and know yourself
lifted up in-and enveloped by Gods refreshing presence! I tell you this
is glorious!
4. LET THE WAVE OF CLEANSING WASH OVER YOU
A fourth wave is necessary, the one of cleansing. Even as a child of God, you still can live in the depth, where you feel the pull of sinful thinking-patterns, passions and lusts. How powerful they can be even in the life of a child of God! Indeed there is a movement of the Spirit of God, which can be compared with an enourmous wave, that washes away all the dirt with purifying power.
In my young childhood I often played on the beach -as we lived close at the seacoast. I remember that after I had played on the beach, that my body was covered with sand and dirt. I ran to the sea and dashed into the waves and all the sand and dirt were washed away -I was clean! I tell you: There is a cleansing power of the Spirit of God, which, like an enormous wave, washes away all your impurity and dirt!
Do you feel unclean, do you feel dirty inside?
Let these waves of inner soul- and mind cleansing power gloriously wash
through your soul. With another illustration the apostle Paul makes the
same truth clear in Titus 3:5, "He has saved us by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Spirit." It is the Spirit of God, who, like a
mighty wave, can cleanse and sanctify you with the cleansing Word of God;
see also John 15:3.
5. LET THE WAVE OF ANOINTING POWER WASH OVER YOU
Here comes the next wave -the mighty wave of the power of the Holy Spirit! Read Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you." Hallelujah -what an awesome wave! What an awesome power -one would almost get frightened by it! This wave can be absolutely overpowering, it could throw you out of balance, You feel yourself being lifted up in the water, it spins you around, pushing you up and down- it bubbles around and in you.Yes, this wave releases spiritual gifts of healing, knowledge, power and inspiration.
After having been again and again in these waves
David felt ready to resume his duties as king and if you could feel and
know yourself ready for your task in Gods Kingdom. Indeed, when this wave
has washed over you, you become conscious of a mission in life. Oh, let
this wave of powerful anointing of Gods Spirit wash over you again and
again! Pentecost was overpowering -there is no doubt about it. Gods power
may throw you off your feet, but then it puts you in a new way -Gods way-
on your feet!
IN CLOSING
In the early days of the Salvation Army in England, is was often witnessed how sinners from the streets got saved in the meeting and that they jumped almost literally in the waves of the soul-cleansing power of God. In those days the converts sometimes stood shaking under the power of God in the meetings, trembling and falling down, as pushed by an unseen hand or wave! Powerful waves of Gods forgiving, cleansing and healing power threw people literally to the floor! In a hall in London, used in those days, you can still see the silent witnesses of those scenes; Boards, attached to the walls to lay the people on, to clear the floor for others! Oh, those days seem far away now. But, listen, please! Gods power is working in our days. Various churches see the same manifestations happen in their services; as sinners get saved and saints cleansed and refreshed!
Please, close your eyes. You know it: You need Gods forgiving, cleansing power. You need His presence and you need His power. Let Gods waves wash over you again and again. Let Gods power touch you -you need Him and His anointing. Don't play with God, you need Him for the healing, cleansing and empowering of your soul. Speaking to those in moments of doubt, painfull loniness, frustration and even depressiveness: Come to the waters, there is fresh supply. Let Gods waves heal and refresh you. Now listen and watch -this is really exciting: Waves of forgiveness, reconciliation, the presence of God, cleansing and anointing power are approaching, rolling towards you with mighty power! Jump in, let them wash over you! Now you can live again, going foward in Jesus' Name! Amen.
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Questions? E-mail.... Pastor T. J. de Ruiter