All Rights Reserved. He answered when I asked that he not allow me to lose my faith altogether. A short clip of Eckhart Tolle discussing the Impersonal Nature of Awareness in Santa Barbara for Eckhart Tolle TV. The hopelessness all the existential philosophers describe raged through me. Pixabay. I determined that God, not my doubts, deserved the benefit of my doubt. The Dark Night is a long, pervasive, and very dark experience. So I began to fast and pray that God would do in me whatever it took so I would not turn his gifts into idols, that I would love him supremely. He is author of three books, Not by Sight, Things Not Seen, and Don’t Follow Your Heart. He might feel like he’s flying straight, when he is actually descending toward the ground. From time to time we all go through trials in which God’s face is hidden from us. We often know what we want, but when we ask God for it, we usually don’t know what we’re asking for to receive it. Again, we can be anxious and nervous and worried without finally submitting to ultimate despair. I claim in no way to perfectly value death as gain, and with Paul, I’m pressing on to greater realization (Philippians 3:12–14). I had numerous experiences that confirmed to me the New Testament reality of the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit. As you resolve to grow and change this year, remember that good intentions without diligence will fail. An acute awareness of the soul’s nothingness without God comes to light. Dark night of the soul Subscribe to Our Newsletter! And then I prayed something very specific: “Lord, if you just somehow whisper to me that you’re still there, and I’m your son, and all this is for your good purpose, I think I can endure anything. This phenomenon describes a malady that the greatest of Christians have suffered from time to time. We confuse God with our ideas about God, or worse, our ideologies. I was earnest about my faith from the beginning. And my God answered. The poem is obscure metaphor. During this obscure time, God works in a person's unconscious to bring about healing and growth. The details are too complex to include here, and not crucial to the point. Until that day. With enough data—life experience—coming from our upbringing, media, role models, community, and traveling, … God is with us in the pain. And though it would take a long time for my weakened soul to recover fully, the night was over. He told me the elder who was scheduled to read the sermon text the next morning was in the ER with a sudden illness, and asked if I would be willing to step in and read. So I bless God for this gift of discipline. Our response is a choice–choosing to believe God is who He says He is even in the darkest moments.T his is faith. Our prayers seem to go unanswered. I was born again somewhere around age 10 or 11, when I first really understood the gospel invitation. ©2008 Ligonier Ministries. We may lose heart completely. The body often charts the way forward and the soul follows in the wake. In the Ascent, John wrote of the "active" night; the Dark Night addresses the "passive" night of purification of the sense and spirit to prepare the soul for union with God. The Dark Night of the Senses is the first of two distinct types of Dark Nights of the Soul according to Saint John of the Cross. I believed he would only answer in ways that were best for me. The presence of faith gives no guarantee of the absence of spiritual depression; however, the dark night of the soul always gives way to the brightness of the noonday light of the presence of God. When a pilot flies into a dark cloud and loses his points of reference, it becomes a dangerous thing for him to trust his physical perceptions. I kept my hand to the vocational plow God had given me, and sought to keep providing for my wife and child. She experienced what St John of the Cross described as the "dark night of the soul". The Dark Night of The Soul is about giving up and grieving. The ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ occurs when your life appears to hit rock bottom. That day I was seized with a Grand Doubt, and scales, rather than falling off, filled my heart-eyes. The first is the purgative way, where we break habits of vice, acquire habits of virtue and learn to live a Catholic life. 4:7-10). “The Dark Night of the Soul is not merely “having a bad day” or even week. My Dark Night of the Soul. 3. So I began to fly according the instruments of God’s word and not my perceptions of the world. During the Dark Night process, the soul brings so much energy to the new path that going against it or resisting it is futile. The term "dark night (of the soul)" in Roman Catholic spirituality describes a spiritual crisis in the journey toward union with God, like that described by St. John of the Cross. When your body is deeply sick, it pulls your soul downward, like a weight tied around the ankle. Perplexed, but not in despair. When Eliana was six, I wrote her song that included these lines: You, Eliana, remind me each day We may be confused and perplexed, but that low point to which perplexity brings us does not result in complete and total despair. I didn’t waver through my teen or early adult years, as I grew in grace. The term "dark night (of the soul)" in Roman Catholic spirituality describes a spiritual crisis in the journey toward union with God, like that described by St. John of the Cross. Saint Faustina and the Dark Night And God’s promises had always given me more light and hope than anything I had ever known. It was the malady that provoked David to soak his pillow with tears. The dark night of my soul is what taught me to love God. Even in persecution, as serious as it may be, we are still not forsaken, and we may be overwhelmed and struck down as Jeremiah spoke of, yet we have room for joy. Of course, death is always painful, but nothing real has actually died there – only an illusory identity. I believed that truth abstractly, theoretically. If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Immediately after this reminder, the apostle adds, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies" (2 Cor. In the second dark night, the soul is enkindled with the love of God, the warmth and strength of which comes from God, though the soul assents to it. When God Works Deep Inside You. If the eclipse had a corona, I couldn’t see it. As I thanked God for Eliana and a safe birth and how God had answered me, I got to thinking, “It was about a year ago the Lord answered my cry. We ask how a person of faith could experience such spiritual lows, but whatever provokes it does not take away from its reality. His poem is what gave us the name Dark Night of the Soul. There is an intimate connection between the body and soul. He calls the dark night a necessity if … I did not wish to commit suicide, but I knew I could not endure this darkness indefinitely. We are told that it is perfectly legitimate for believers to suffer grief. I was 31, married to my dearest friend on earth, and had a precious baby boy. But about three weeks before her birth, we came across the name “Eliana,” which means “my God answers” in Hebrew. It is God’s plan for preserving us and bringing us safely to glory. St. John's term has now been adopted by people of all belief systems to refer to a transformational journey that takes place when you are suffering. In Dark Night of the Soul, Saint John of the Cross presents for us a portrait painted from his own experience of one who advances successfully through the struggles of the spiritual life. I was disturbed at the difference I saw between my experience of satisfaction in God and what I read in the Bible. It vacillates. Devotions for Psalm 13:1-6–Dark Night of the Soul June 12-18, 2017 . Traditionally, spiritual directors identify three primary stages (or ways) of growth in holiness. Now that you have a better understanding of The Dark Night Of The Soul, I want to share a kind of survival guide to help you along. “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. The details are too complex to include here, and not crucial to the point. The dark night of the soul is a stage in personal development when a person undergoes a difficult and significant transition to a deeper perception of life and their place in it. O God. She experienced what St John of the Cross described as the "dark night of the soul". I held nothing secret from those closest to me and those who needed to know. not religiousely just speaking from my mouth and my heart was far from it. It was the malady that so afflicted Martin Luther that his melancholy threatened to destroy him. Traditionally, spiritual directors identify three primary stages (or ways) of growth in holiness. So we have this pressure to bear, but the pressure, though it is severe, does not crush us. But it wasn’t really my heart cry. He answered by staying imperceptibly near when I feared he was gone forever. God intentionally withdraws the felt-sense of his presence to do a w The meaninglessness seemed at once compelling and untrue at the same time. The Dark Night is a metaphor describing the mystical union between the soul and God in prayer. Our Lord Himself was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL INTRODUCTION SOMEWHAT reluctantly, out of respect for a venerable tradition, we publish the Dark Night as a separate treatise, though in reality it is a continuation of the Ascent of Mount Carmel and fulfils the undertakings given in it: The first night or purgation is of the sensual part of the soul, which is treated in the Dark Night of the Soul . The “dark night of the soul” is a concept that has been discussed for millennia, typically associated with a poem written by St. John of the Cross. It was Saturday, August 23, 1997. While a person in the midst of a dark night of the soul knows, on some level, there is a purpose to the pain, the depressed person is embittered and wants to be relieved immediately. He is author of three books. Early in the 16th century, the Spanish mystic and poet, St. John of the cross thought deeply on this subject. Specifically, when I read how the apostle Paul, in the face of very possible death, the earthly loss of all things, cried from his heart, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Before the dark night, we’re prone to pat answers, dogmatism, and pride. As a primordial process of death and rebirth, the Dark Night of the Soul is a period in life where we are stripped of everything that is false. Our faith is not a constant action. The dark night is a time of refining. However, the Dark Night of the Soul is a process initiated by the soul. The difference between the two nights can … John Paul Jackson ( Art of Hearing God ) 5 The Dark Night of the Soul. It was the malady that provoked David to soak his pillow with tears. As a very young boy, I had an awareness of God’s existence and experienced his intervention at certain remarkable points. In like manner, we see that it is a good thing to go to the house of mourning, but even in mourning, that low feeling must not give way to hatred. The presence of faith gives no guarantee of the absence of spiritual depression; however, the dark night of the soul always gives way to the brightness of the noonday light of the presence of God. The dark night of the soul is a kind of death that you die. The dark night of the soul is a stage in personal development when a person undergoes a difficult and significant transition to a deeper perception of life and their place in it. The presence of faith gives no guarantee of the absence of spiritual depression; however, the dark night of the soul always gives way to the brightness of the noonday light of the presence of God. Sometimes He even wants to destroy your ability to believe and have faith until you know that you can believe and have faith in grace. If the eclipse had a corona, I couldn’t see it. Life was mostly ministry, and mostly wonderful. Though grief may reach to the roots of our souls, it must not result in bitterness. Discouragement, worry, or exhaustion press in on us. The person's role in such a time is not significant. During the latter months of pregnancy, we had pondered many names. Ask him. All rights reserved. Just whisper to me I’m your son!”. It pulls you towards a direction of love, joy, and peace because the soul knows that you are ready for growth. The Dark Night is a long, pervasive, and very dark experience. If you’re experiencing the Dark Night of the Soul, you will constantly carry around within you a sense of being lost. At some point in the spiritual journey, we come to what St. John of the Cross called “the dark night of the soul” – a season in which our experience of God feels more like absence than presence. Irregular updates, but we try, we have children you know You will receive a confirmation email from us within a minute, if you don't see it check the junk/spam folder and mark it as safe and follow the instructions to receive our newsletters. He answered when I was disturbed by the idolatry I saw growing in my heart and asked for deliverance. My prayer inspired by this Psalm will help you navigate the darkness in your soul and by faith see the unseen light of Christ: In the Night I Remember You Help me! The dark night of the soul is the time when God focuses on our "outward man" and the things that we do. In his poem, he talks about the journey of the soul towards a magical reunion with God. God Went Dark. This passage indicates the limits of depression that we experience. But suffice it to say, one day that spring an eclipse of God occurred in the sky of my soul. We’re on a mission to change that. At ninety-two, Clyde Holthauser could no longer live alone. And then light dawned. He will bring light, when the time’s right for you and me. It’s about facing the places where you are stuck and working with God to clear them. When we get to a certain age, typically around 17 to 35, we become who we are going to be for the rest of our lives. That God does answer the prayers that we pray. This is no ordinary fit of depression, but it is a depression that is linked to a crisis of faith, a crisis that comes when one senses the absence of God or gives rise to a feeling of abandonment by Him. The Dark Night of the Soul. We think of the prophet Habakkuk, who in his misery remained confident that despite the setbacks he endured, God would give him feet like hind's feet, feet that would enable him to walk in high places. Life appeared meaningless. The Dark Night of the Senses is a time when God seems distant – we don’t feel his love or blessings (e.g., Job and the Psalmist, “O Lord, why is your face hidden from me?”). In like manner, we see that it is a good thing to go to the house of mourning, but even in mourning, that low feeling must not give way to hatred. And have a dark night of the soul experience. The depression may be profound, but it is not permanent, nor is it fatal. It is a term used to describe what one could call a collapse of a perceived meaning in life… an eruption into your life of a deep sense of meaninglessness. In writing to the Corinthians in his second letter, Paul commends to his readers the importance of preaching and of communicating the Gospel to people. Many spiritual greats have written about the Dark Night of the Soul, which is a troubling and incredibly difficult phase of spiritual awakening.. Not everyone on the spiritual path experiences this challenging period, but for those who do, it has the potential to be incredibly transformational. God’s comfort is absent. The “dark night of the soul” is a term that goes back a long time. During the Dark Night of the Soul you need to trust God in the dark and wait on Him.You will have to ride on sheer blind faith just hanging onto to Rock of Salvation. What dies is the egoic sense of self. I have learned to turely love God and I wouldn’t take it back for anything.I didn’t want to identify with Job and all of his struggles … The dark night of the soul. Jon Bloom serves as author, board chair, and co-founder of Desiring God. Sproul is senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida, and he is the author of the book Truths We Confess. It is mobile. A dark night of the soul is not something that one can choose to initiate — or participate in. Moving Through A Dark Night of the Soul Into A New Phase of Awakened Light. Dark Night Of The Soul I have made the statement over the past several weeks during this sermon series that the last words of a person are important words. He told his mom that God was absent from him. The dark night of the soul doesn't come at the beginning of one's journey to God. Everything appeared hollow. I wanted to say, “No, absolutely not!” And I wondered why he hadn’t called another elder (I wasn’t one). But I can say this: that dark night of hopelessness revealed to me, like nothing else ever has, that God in Christ is the Joy in all the true, pure joys that exist. Work appeared meaningless, rest appeared meaningless, leisure appeared meaningless, the cosmos appeared meaningless. I suddenly couldn’t see God at all. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. I write this article as a memorial stone twenty years later. Twenty years ago, in the spring of 1997, I experienced an eclipse of God. The ‘dark night of the soul’ is a term that goes back a long time. What it is: A season in our apprenticeship to Jesus where he intentionally takes away the felt sense of his presence in order to do a deep work of purgation and preparation in our soul for a greater freedom, love, and intimacy with God. By Bill Gaultiere. For more than 50 years of her life, "Mother Teresa was wrapped in a dark, pitiless silence", according the soon-to-be-saint's biographer, David Scott. the pastor preached with a heart full of trembling awe. However, the Dark Night of the Soul is a process initiated by the soul. I think having this information will make the darkness easier to navigate. By touchofgod77 February 24, 2017 Dark Night of the Soul, Newsletter Index Dark Night of the Soul The Dark Night of the Soul James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Give sunshine to the soul. For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. Persecuted, but not forsaken. For months I had a constant low-grade headache from the dissonance of conflicting beliefs in my head. "With my soul have I desired thee in the night. Clyde’s two children and their families couldn’t provide adequate care for him either. For the past twenty years, I have been feeding off the peaceful fruit resulting from the loving, fatherly discipline of the Lord. What Does it Look Like to 'Do Justice, Love Mercy, and walk Humbly' Today? At some point in your life, you will experience the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ where it seems that everything that can possibly go wrong, will go wrong. 29.7k Likes, 182 Comments - Desiring God (@desiringgod) on Instagram: “In my dark night of the soul, I decided to fly by the instruments — to steer by the Bible’s…” I read the Scripture the next morning before the pastor preached with a heart full of trembling awe. But I remember praying something that struck me odd even then: “Lord, just don’t let me lose my faith.”. The soul desires growth and expansion. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? Yes, I have also experienced it. And so will diligence without God. Essentially, the “dark night” of your soul is not just a bad day, it’s a complete reboot of your entire operating system. Regular, disciplined Bible intake is not optional for God’s people. I remember the terror of realizing that if I embraced this unbelief, the wonder of my wonderful wife and child would disappear, for whatever “love” I felt toward them would be nothing more than some genetic illusion to encourage and protect reproduction. This phenomenon describes a malady that the greatest of Christians have suffered from time to time. What many people fail to realize is that this is a true blessing. I suddenly couldn’t see God at all. It was the malady that earned for Jeremiah the sobriquet, "The Weeping Prophet." For me, it’s fitting that a solar eclipse occurred this week. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Your Dark Night of the Soul is your wind, your cocoon; it is an ego death whereby you shed the ego that prevents you from embodying your Soul. Months I had learned to trust him `` afflicted, perplexed, but I knew I could endure... 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