Ⅳ
Psalm 42:7 says, “Deep calls unto deep”:
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Others can respond deep within to only what issues from deep within us; anything that is not from the depths will never reach the depths of others.
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The kingdom life is a life in the depths, a life that can “take root downward and bear fruit upward” (Isa. 37:31; cf. Acts 6:7; 12:24; 19:20).
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On the one hand, we need to allow Christ as the seed of life to take root deep in the soil of our heart as the good earth (Matt. 13:23); on the other hand, we, as living plants in Christ, need to take root deep in the soil of the all-inclusive Christ as the reality of the good land (Col. 2:6-7):
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The good earth signifies the good heart that is not hardened by worldly traffic, that is without hidden sins, and that is without the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches; we need to daily allow the Lord to deal with these things in our heart so that we can grow with the growth of God (v. 19).
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Because we have been planted in Christ as the reality of the good land, we need to take time to absorb Him (especially in our times with Him in the morning).
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While the sower sowed, some seeds fell beside the way, some on the rocky places, some into the thorns, and some into the good earth; this shows us four different ways for man to receive the word (Matt. 13:4-8, 18-23):
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The Lord Jesus tells us that among these different conditions, one is the rocky places; there is a little earth on the surface, but underneath there are rocks; when the seed falls into this kind of ground, it springs up quickly, but as soon as the sun comes out, it withers because of the lack of root (vv. 5-6).
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What is a root? It is growth that occurs beneath the soil. What are the leaves? This is growth that occurs above the soil.
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In other words, roots are the hidden life, whereas leaves are the manifest life; the trouble with many Christians is that, while there is much apparent life, there is very little secret life; in other words, there is the lack of a hidden life.
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If all your experiences are manifested, then all your growth is upward; there is no downward growth; if this is the case, you are a person who has only leaves without root, and you are on shallow ground.
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The Christian who parades all his virtues before men and who does not have anything in the depth of his being has no root; he will not be able to stand in the day of trial and temptation; may God work in us so that we can take root downward.
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We need deep experiences of Christ like that of the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12:1-4):
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Paul was caught away to the third heaven and caught away into Paradise, but he did not divulge this experience until fourteen years later; Paul's roots were deep beneath the soil.
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If we want to have Paul's work, then we need to have Paul's “root”; if we want to have Paul's outward conduct, then we need to have Paul's inner life; if we want to have Paul's manifest power, then we need to have Paul's secret experience.
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This does not mean that we should not testify, but we must realize that many experiences need to be hidden (cf. 4:5).
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To be without root is to be without any hidden treasure; it is to be without any hidden life or hidden experiences; it is essential that some of our experiences remain covered; to uncover everything is to lose everything (cf. Isa. 39:2-8).
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Whatever secrets we have with the Lord must be preserved; only if He moves within us to reveal something, dare we reveal it; if He wants us to share some experience with a brother, we dare not withhold it, for that would be violating a law of the members of the Body of Christ, which is the law of fellowship:
１
We need to learn what the Body of Christ is and what the flow of life among the members is; but we also need to learn the need for safeguarding the hidden part we have before the Lord, the experiences of Christ that are not known to others.
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If our life has no depth, our superficial work will only affect other lives superficially; only “deep calls unto deep.”
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A pure and beautiful spiritual life is derived from inward, hidden, and uninterrupted fellowship with God; hence, “he will bud like the lily / And will send forth his roots like the trees of Lebanon” (Hosea 14:5); this kind of life is capable of bearing much fruit (vv. 5-7).
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In order to live a life in the depths, it is necessary to have direct and intimate fellowship with the Lord; Song of Songs 4:12 says, “A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride, / A spring shut up, a fountain sealed”:
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At this point in her spiritual progress, the Lord's loving seeker has become a garden for Christ's private satisfaction.
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She is not an open garden but an enclosed garden; all that she has is for her Beloved's delight and for no one else.
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If today's believers would close up a little more and seal up tighter, their work would become more prevailing.
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May the Lord grant us grace and do a deeper work in us through the cross so that we may strike deep roots and live a hidden life in the depths to fulfill God's requirements and satisfy His heart.
Morning Nourishment
Psa. 42:7 Deep calls unto deep at the sound of Your water spouts; all Your waves and Your billows pass over me.Matt. 13:5 And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much earth, and immediately they sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
Only a call from the depths can provoke a response from the depths. Nothing shallow can ever touch the depths, nor can anything superficial touch the inward parts....Others can respond deep within to only what issues from deep within us....Anything that is not from the depths will never reach the depths of others. If we have never received help or benefit in our depths, we will never have anything issuing from our depths. (CWWN, vol. 37, “Deep Calls unto Deep,” p. 37)
Today's Reading
In the Lord's parable of the sower...some seeds fell...on the rocky places [Matt. 13:5]....When the seed falls into this kind of ground, it springs up quickly, but as soon as the sun comes out, it withers because of the lack of root. What is a root? It is growth that occurs beneath the soil. What are the leaves? They are growth that occurs above the soil. In other words, roots are the hidden life, whereas leaves are the manifest life. The trouble with many Christians is that, while there is much apparent life, there is very little secret life. In other words, there is the lack of a hidden life....If all your experiences are manifested, then all your growth is upward; there is no downward growth. If this is the case, you are a person who has only leaves without root, and you are on shallow ground.The Christian who parades all his virtues before men and who does not have anything in the depth of his being has no root; he will not be able to stand in the day of trial and temptation.
How much [of our experience] would be left if what is known by man was taken away? May God work in us so that we can take root downward.
Did Paul disclose all his revelations? Far from it. He wrote, “I know a man [who is himself] in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know; God knows) such a one was caught away to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2). He did not divulge this experience until fourteen years later....God's church knew nothing of it;...not one of the apostles had heard of it. Paul's roots were deep beneath the soil.
If you want to have Paul's work, then you need to have Paul's “root”; if you want to have Paul's outward conduct, then you need to have Paul's inner life; if you want to have Paul's manifest power, then you need to have Paul's secret experience. The trouble with Christians today is that they cannot keep any spiritual thing or any special experience undisclosed. As soon as they have a little experience, they have to tell it abroad.
This does not mean that we should not testify. But we must realize that many...spiritual experiences need to be hidden away and should not be exposed....To be without root is to be without any treasure; it is to be without any hidden life or hidden experiences. It is essential that some of our experiences remain covered; to uncover everything is to lose everything.
Whatever secrets we have with the Lord must be preserved....Only if He moves within us to reveal something, dare we reveal it. If He wants us to share some experience with a brother, we dare not withhold it, for that would be violating a law of the members of the Body of Christ. One law of the members of the Body of Christ is fellowship. Once we suppress this law, the flow stops. We must be positive, not negative, and minister life to others....I trust we shall learn what the Body of Christ is and what the flow of life among the members is; but I trust we shall also learn the need for safeguarding the hidden part we have before the Lord, the experiences which are not known to others.
If our life has no depth, our superficial work will only affect other lives superficially. We repeat yet again—only “deep calls unto deep.” (CWWN, vol. 37, “Deep Calls unto Deep,” pp. 37-40, 42-44)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 37, ch. 7, “Deep Calls unto Deep”; CWWN, vol. 38, ch. 66; Life-study of Colossians, msgs. 44, 51-53