We were out on the Lake, and I took this picture because it reminded me of a fathomless billow.
The words of an old Hymn, “Wonderful Peace.” The chorus stays within your heart.
Peace, peace, wonderful peace, Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever. I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
Fathomless– unable to be measured or understood; extremely deep.
Billows -to rise or roll in or like billows a great wave.
Some of you may have sung this song throughout the years. Here is just a portion of the song.
Wonderful Peace🎵
Far away in the depths of my spirit, tonight Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm; In celestial strains, it unceasingly falls O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love
Wonderful Peace, Written by William G Cooper -music and Rev. Warren D. Cornell-Words 1889
The History of the Hymn
One day, while seated in the tent Revival, Rev. Cornell, following a period of deep introspection, wrote down the thoughts with which his mind was engaged.
They later proved to be parts of this hymn, Wonderful Peace. Sinking again into introspect while pondering, he arose, unwittingly dropped the written verses on the tent floor and went out.
When Mr. Cooper entered the tent an hour or two later he discovered the paper. He was fascinated by the theme and the accompanying verses. It so fitted his own thinking that he filled in and completed the poem. Then, sitting down at the organ, he composed the melody as it has since been sung.
Depth – in Hebrew -Tehohm sounds like teh-home’
Strongs #H8415 a surging mass of water), especially the deep ocean, deep, depth (river, Lake, Sea)
A prayer from the depths of your heart.
Psalm 42:7-8
“Deep calls unto (deep)at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and (billows)have gone over me. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night, His song shall be with me”
These two depths unite. Look beneath the surface to find the heart of God. Our prayer should come from the depths of our hearts and unite to His.
Psalm 42 David is the songwriter. He is desperate because his soul is in deep need of God. He writes from his place of desperate need for the unfathomable greatness of God.
See, he does not say simply that the Lord will bestow, but ‘command His lovingkindness.’ As the gift is poured out as grace — He commands. He speaks, and it is manifest.
When our deep need calls for a deeper remedy.
The power of your song you should always be ready to sing it day and night.
Do you have a favorite song you sing to the Lord?
Let’s not leave out vs. 1
Another Hymn from Psalm 42, “As the Deer”
It also came from the reflection of Psalm 42 Just the heading floods my soul: The deep need of the psalmist.
Psalm 42:1-3
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
” Where is your God?” “David might rather have said to them, Where are your eyes? Where is your sight? for God is not only in heaven but in me.” (Spurgeon quote)
Psalm 42 :1
“As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks, So my [a]soul pants [longingly] for You, O God”
“As the Deer,” 🎵 Even reading or singing brings you a blessing. Here is a portion of the song
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship Thee
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship Thee
Songwriters: Martin J. Nystrom
For many moments in ministry, I kept this song close to my heart.
The Story of how the Song was written.
Marty Nystrom (1956 – ), a 24-year-old schoolteacher in Seattle, WA, wanted to get to know a young woman a lot better. Since she would be at a school in Dallas, TX, that summer, he decided to enroll in the same 6-week program.
But, after arriving in Texas, he discovered things were not going to work out with the young woman, and he was stuck in a program he didn’t want to be in… during a very hot, Dallas summer. Since Marty was both broke and heartbroken, a roommate decided he should go on a fast to get his priorities straightened out again. So Marty did. During that fast, all he ingested was water. He says of that time, “To be honest, I could not say my soul thirsted for more of God.”
But, as he fasted, he noticed his earthly desires and physical lusts began to wane. His spirit became more and more hungry for communion with God. After fasting for 19 days, he sat down at a piano in the men’s dorm. A Bible was open on the piano. It was open to Psalm 42, so Marty began to sing through that psalm. He remembers that day: “God gave me a melody for Psalm 42:1. I just began to sing right off the page… literally.”
10 years later, Marty was in Seoul, Korea, attending a worship conference that had attracted 100,000 Koreans. To open the conference, that huge audience sang Marty’s song… this song.
As deer longed for and needed water, living near the water’s edge, they drank from it regularly. One or two, even a herd of deer.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: I, too, thirst regularly for spiritual water. Our physical bodies need water to survive, and so do our spiritual souls need spiritual water.
Open the Word and get refreshed and revived get a drink of pure love.
“Sweep over my spirit forever. I pray
In fathomless billows of love.”
John 7:37-38 Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”
It does not matter where you are when you are ready; Jesus has been waiting for you to come to him always. Such is the great thirst of some.
“Not merely for the tabernacle and the ordinances, but for fellowship with God himself. No spiritual man can sympathize with this thirst.” (Spurgeon quote)
I know personally that He alone gives living water.
This is how Psalm 42 ends.
Psalm 42:11
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God. For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God”
Keep your hope in God (hope in Hebrew, means expect), and keep confidence that you shall praise Him.
Psalm 42:11 The Message
“Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.”
Keep on singing 🎵