When the Deep Cries Out

Yesterday in Houston, I visited one of the most powerful sights I’ve ever seen—the Water Wall. Designed by famed architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee, it stands 64 feet tall, with 11,000 gallons of water cascading down every minute. The sound of the water was deafening, the breeze refreshing, and the mist touched your face like a whisper from heaven.

It reminded me of what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 42: “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me. But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me” (Psalm 42:7-8).

Life is not always still and quiet. Sometimes, it crashes over us like that waterfall. Our hearts cry out with pain. Questions rise like waves. Grief, loneliness, disappointment—they come in torrents. You pray, and the answer doesn’t come. You cry out, and the silence feels heavier than the sorrow.

But Scripture reminds us that in the loudest moments of life, when all seems overwhelming, something sacred is happening: deep calls unto deep. The deep places in our soul—the places of need, of longing, of desperation—are reaching out to the depths of God’s mercy, His strength, and His love.

And when your soul cries out in the flood, the Lord answers with a flood of His own—His love, His comfort, His peace. God pours out His love. Not in drips, not in teaspoons, but like a waterfall—relentless, overwhelming, cleansing, and healing.

That is who our God is. When you feel weak, He pours out strength. When you are in despair, He pours out hope. When you’re surrounded by sorrow, He floods you with peace. The cross reminds us of this. Christ didn’t avoid the flood—He entered it. He was submerged in suffering, in death itself, so that we would never face the waters alone.

So when life crashes over you like a waterfall, don’t let fear take the lead. Don’t let the noise drown out your faith. Instead, let the deep in you call out to the deep in Him. Let your need reach for His mercy. And in time, what once overwhelmed you will become the very place where you met God most clearly.