Much is happening in the world today. Even Reggie White -- Preacher/All-Pro Green Bay Packer -- has been in the news lately, being attacked merely because he stated some Scriptural Truths from the Word of God. Yes, doing that will sometimes raise a “ruckus”, and there are many “ruckuses” being raised today. Webster defines ruckus as “a noisy disturbance”. Let us see how God defines “ruckus”. Oh, “ruckus” isn’t in the Bible? Okay then, let’s just see...

Psalm 42:7 -- “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts; all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.”

Some of you have probably heard this verse quoted before, but have you ever really taken a close look at it? We’re going to view it from a slightly different angle. Some of the other things going on this week include my browser going haywire, preventing me from gaining access to my Web Site, where I needed to do some work; also, I received some email that got me to thinking. Actually, an email last week, and a few this week, all building and accumulating until this week: There is a “noise of thy waterspouts”. Let’s look at this verse a little more closely.

“Deep calleth unto deep...” -- it may sound a bit mysterious, but the “deep” mentioned here is the Hebrew word tehowm (teh-home’), meaning “an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water-supply); a deep place or depth.” Twice this week, in emails from a brother and friend, there was mentioned the phrase: “Deep calleth unto deep...”. We were discussing some other subject, but he kept coming back to this phrase: “Deep calleth unto deep...”, or so it seemed. It stuck with my spirit; I knew there was something I needed to see in this, and all that was happening around me stirred me even further. There are times (when God places a person’s name on my heart, or a thought in my spirit, or a verse that will not leave me) when I know I need to pray for that particular person, think on that particular thought, or go and study out whatever verse He has laid before me. And this is what I did with “Deep calleth unto deep...”.

As we further look at the Hebrew word tehowm and the words it is derived from, it also has a meaning of “to put in commotion; by implication to disturb, drive, destroy; to break, consume, crush, discomfit, trouble, vex.” Hey, this sounds an awful lot like “ruckus” to me. It can further mean “to make an uproar, or agitate greatly; make a noise; even to ring again.” Sometimes, in the midst of trials and tests, we feel this agitation, this troubling or even being driven. Usually we think it’s the devil doing all the shoving or creating all the ruckus. But, Jesus was “driven”. And you might think, “He was?”

In Luke 3:21, 22 and Luke 4:1 we see His baptism, the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, then the Holy Spirit “leading” Jesus into the wilderness. The word “leading” is the Greek word ago (ag’-o), meaning “to lead; to bring, drive, to induce, to bring forth.” In Mark 1:11-13 it says, “And there came a voice from heaven, saying, ‘You are my Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased’. And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto Him.” So, from Luke and Mark, we can see that the Holy Spirit “drives” us sometimes, giving a nudge and a push, attempting to lead us to some place other than where we are. While it would be more correct to assume that Jesus only needed “leading” by the Holy Spirit, we most certainly need much more assistance.

I do not say this lightly or irreverently, but if angels ministered to Jesus, then they can very easily minister to us, if and when we may need it. Having said that, let me quickly say that I do not believe we are to “call on” angels or even “communicate with angels”, asking them for guidance or advice. I once knew a group of Christians who claimed they “commanded” angels to do this, go there, and do that, etc., and the “scary” thing is: These angels did their bidding! Dear saints of God: Be very, very careful when you start interacting with any spirit. You had best know it is the Holy Spirit OR angelic spirits.

There is much confusion today concerning angels, and even Christians are getting side-tracked -- losing their all-important focus. There’s even a book on the New York Times Best Seller List (again, remember -- this was written in the Spring of ’98) dealing with this very dangerous area of communicating with angels and spirits (and these kinds of spirits are demonic!). The book is titled Talking to Heaven, by James Van Praagh. In it, the author tells of his experience as a highly acclaimed medium and his contact with the deceased. Beloved, the deceased are gone, and we are not to be attempting to contact them, and mediums are strictly forbidden by the Lord, no matter how spiritual they sound or appear -- and no matter how long their books may be on the best seller list! Look at these next verses, 1st Samuel 28:6-21, for starters, then go to :

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 -- “There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or daughter to pass through the fire (as an offering), or that uses divination (witchcraft), or an observer of times (magic and horoscopes), or an enchanter (false prophet), or a witch (whisperer of spells), (11) or a charmer (mediums or seances), or a consulter (one who inquires after, seeking guidance) with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. (12) For all that do these things are an abomination to the LORD; and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.”

The Lord did not, will not, does not tolerate these things. Now, lest any of you say that this is just Old Testament Law...let us go to Acts 16:16-18:

(16) “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying (uttering spells, under pretence of foretelling) (17) This girl followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who show to us the Way of Salvation.’ (18) And she did this for many days, until Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!’ And he (the demonic spirit) came out of her the same hour.”

While this Mr. Van Praagh may claim to give comfort to those seeking a reuniting with a deceased loved one, he is, in fact, possessed every bit as much as this girl in Acts. And even though, like her, he may be reporting accurate accounts, it does not, does NOT -- and let me be very, very clear and emphatic: it does NOT mean he is communicating with God! He may think he’s helping people develop their own means of “talking to heaven”, but he is actually just putting souls into direct contact with demonic forces. Some of you may not believe how many people claiming to know the Lord (and calling themselves Christians) are involved with mediums, horoscopes and even witchcraft, but, beloved, they are out there...searching for answers, just like you and I.

Now my dear brother or sister, if you are reading that book, Talking to Heaven, or someone has given it to you, throw it away! Don’t give it away...throw it away! That way no one else will be tempted to read it and become deceived by it. The book is filled with deceptions, lies, half-truths, and it can even confuse the heart of a well-meaning Christian. Let’s not concentrate on “the angels there to minister to us”, but rather on “the Holy Spirit leading us.” However, if an angel does come to you and begins talking, here’s some advice: Firmly insist he talk about the Blood of Jesus, and how Jesus came in the Flesh...if he cannot, then he did not come from the Throne of God. But I do not intend to talk about angels. I know I have digressed, but I do not apologize --- this crazy, insatiable appetite many people have for angels needs to be dealt with.

This email from a Christian friend -- the one who mentioned “Deep calleth unto deep...” -- was a discussion concerning something that was a “troubling” to both of us, and in our communicating we both felt we may have “mis-communicated” our thoughts or our intents. That is one reason why I dislike emails...you cannot always get the “feel” of what a person is saying. Though it may seem somewhat personal, I believe it will help our discussion to include a portion of what he wrote. This email was after he and I had discussed a very serious (and erroneous) teaching being put forth as Truth, and I have his permission to include the following portions of that email exchange:

(He wrote)
Oh how I thank God for His Grace and Mercy which is in Christ Jesus. I thought that after you had read what I had written, that I might not hear from you again. Even in that, the Lord spoke to me again and said, “Do you seek to please God or man?”

I asked God to show me those who I am sent to fellowship with, and He said that He will reveal it by His Spirit. God has placed the spirit of the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor (shepherd) and teacher in His body, otherwise we would never know those who are sent to us. Hallelujah! Not only the “deep calleth unto deep” but the best example I know of in the scripture is when Mary visited Elizabeth and the child “leaped” within her womb. God has a remnant. Your teaching on “the adulterous generation” is a blessing to me. It is what I call a “cardiogram” for the heart. Thank you for your faithfulness.

As we wrote back and forth, discussing some pretty weighty matters (including universalists, who believe that all will be saved! But that’s another teaching), our own self-doubts began creeping up on us, as it will from time to time. After several emails, we finally realized that all was fine; nothing had been misinterpreted; and we were relating as “deep calling unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts; all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.” Now, allow me to explain how something that seems uncomfortable or even troubling can result in a wonderful spiritual blessing.

I thought about this a while, was still troubled, so I wrote my good friend, James Firestone. He ever so gently wrote back, explaining he had dealt with some of these people, and he tried to be firm, but was afraid he was too firm in what he wrote me. I wrote back, assuring him he was right on target, and I appreciated his sharing. Several emails later, we finally were in agreement that all of this exchange of emails and concern for whether all we were saying was being accepted or not was nothing to worry about.

I say all of this because that is what “The Noise of the Waterspouts” is all about. I “innocently” went somewhere, read something, was troubled, wrote to James, he was troubled, but in all of the “disturbance” and “agitation” and “noise”, we realized that the Lord had poured out His Blessing on our lives. I told him how much a blessing he had been to me over the past few months since we’d begun communicating; he said the same, and we both realized that God had been orchestrating all of this “ruckus”, to allow us to see each other the way He wanted us to see: As fellow laborers, co-workers with Him, and as two Christians who understood “deep calleth unto deep”. So do not be alarmed if you sense you are being “driven” by an unseen Force. If you love Him, and are doing your best to serve Him and follow Him, He is leading you, directing each step you take, till you come to that downpouring of the waterspout! If you have doubts as to what is driving or pushing you, ask Him, Who will not refuse you or chide you...

James 1:5-8 -- “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all men liberally (meaning bountifully), and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6) But let him ask in faith, without any wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (7) Do not let that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (8) A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways”.

Just ask and believe that He will give you understanding and wisdom. Wisdom is, as you may well know, one of the nine Gifts of the Spirit. This is the same wisdom that James speaks of in verse 5.

Most often, when the Spirit of God gets us moving (by prodding and/or by pushing), we are likely to find that the end results are quite rewarding...provided, of course, we have been obedient in the matter (“without any wavering” or “double-mindedness” -- verses 6 & 8, above). What do I mean by this? Many times, when God has wanted me to do something, I may have resisted or doubted or struggled, or maybe I did something begrudgingly. But, after all was said and done, I did it nonetheless. I have heard ministers say (when God has uprooted them from their safe, secure place only to change their entire lives) that there were “heel marks all the way from Seattle to Dallas” (just a random example). What they meant was, they resisted and dug in their heels all the way, till finally they gave in. That is how it is with most of us. We may “get there”, finally, but at what cost to us? And at what delay?

And after we “get there”, what is this noise we hear? What is all this commotion?And, yes, there might even be agitation!But, now let us look at all of this “noise” in a slightly different light: In spite of what we fear or think, the noise we hear may very well be the “noise of thy waterspouts”; the commotion we sense is a “breakthrough” in the heavens above us; and the agitation...? It’s the enemy running...away from us, as holy rains begin to pour down! For the Heavenly Waters, even in our apparent disobedience or stubbornness, have still come to rain upon us, flooding our lives, till the waterspouts are flooded.

Now, what am I saying? Am I saying that disobedience and stubbornness are rewarded, when 1st Samuel 15:23 very plainly tells us, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry”? No, what I am saying is this: Sometimes, apparent disobedience or stubbornness is just our flesh resisting what our spirit is willingly doing anyway. As Jesus told us...

Matthew 26:41 -- “Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation, for the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”, and Mark 14:38: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”

1st Peter 1:7 -- “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

1st Peter 4:12, 13 -- “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you, but rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His Glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

And John writes, in Revelation 2:10 -- “Fear none of those things which you shall suffer, for behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days (this is symbolic of trials); but you be faithful even unto death, and I will give you a Crown of Life.”

I place these words here, because some of you do not really understand all of what I have been saying, having never really tasted of these Holy Rains and Heavenly Downpourings. I say this not to be critical of you, but to hopefully give you some insight that some blessings cannot be realized without paying a Price. Look at the above verses:

The trial of our faith and being tried with fire produces “praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

Those fiery trials which try us allow us to be “partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His Glory is revealed, we may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

And even though some of us “shall suffer being cast into prison, being tried, if we are faithful even unto death, He will give us a Crown of Life.”

All suffering, like a small, insignificant seed, has the ability to produce something wonderful and enormous and honorable to Our Lord. Let us not be afraid of trials and tests and sufferings, for they will all come our way. How we react and submit will determine the fruit and the bountiful harvest. The noises and the ruckus and the turmoil is only an indicator of what is to come.

Lamentations 3:1-26 -- “I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. (2) He has led me [notice He leads -- G. Crisp], and brought me into darkness, and not into light. (3) Surely He is turned against me; He turns His hand against me all the day. (4) My flesh and my skin He has made old; He has broken my bones; (5) He has built against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. (6) He has set me in dark places, as they that are long dead. (7) He has hedged me about, that I cannot get out [but that is not always a bad thing -- G. Crisp], and He has made my chains heavy.

(8) Also when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer. (9) He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, He has made my paths crooked. (10) He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. (11) He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; He has made me desolate. (12) He has bent His bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. (13) He has caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my reins. (14) I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. (15) He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drunk with wormwood. (16) He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones, He has covered me with ashes.

(17) And You [now he’s speaking to the Lord -- G. Crisp] have removed my soul far off from peace, and I’ve forgotten prosperity. (18) I said, ‘My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD’, but (19) remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall, (20) (for my soul still has them in remembrance, and is humbled in me) (21) I recall this to my mind -- therefore I have hope.

[And here is what Jeremiah recalls to his mind and heart -- G.Crisp] (22) It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions cannot fail. (23) They are new every morning. Great is Thy Faithfulness! (24) ‘The LORD is my portion’, says my soul; ‘therefore I will hope in Him. (25) The LORD is good to them that wait for Him; to the soul that seeks after Him. (26) It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the Salvation of the LORD’.”

In closing, let me say that most heavy rains are preceded by thunder. This is the “noise” that foretells of the blessing of rain. It may sound strange, but I find comfort in the rolling of the thunder; it always tells of a refreshing forthcoming blessing. The rain “clears the air”, much like James and I did, exchanging emails until we realized all was well. And as Elijah told that wicked king, Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain” (1st Kings 18:41), so must we “get up” and prepare for the waves and the billows descending upon the waterspouts. And we, being cheerful, obedient sons and daughters of the Lord, can so much more appreciate and enjoy His Gracious, Heavenly Rains.

So do not fear or doubt the “noise” and the “ruckus” that comes your way, for as Jeremiah said, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions cannot fail. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness!” And it is...“Great is His Faithfulness!