A while back I had a couple rough days. There was nothing really wrong, but I couldn’t seem to shake the gloom. I had an important decision to make and I desperately needed God to light my way, but instead found myself stumbling in the dark.
This experience reminded me of the time I was lost in the Adirondacks with some other youth from our church. The night was so dark we couldn’t see each other, although we were standing close enough to touch. The darkness seemed to press in on every side, smothering us, filling our minds with dread. When all you can see is nothing at all, you really understand what it means to be lost.
I think most, if not all of us, have experienced similar times in our lives, days when you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light. God seems distant, your prayers unheard. You seem to have wandered into, as Job describes it, “the land of gloom and utter darkness, the land of deepest night, of utter darkness and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.” Job 10:21, 22.
The Spanish cleric, St. John of the Cross, called these times “the dark night of the soul.” He described them as “a dense and burdensome cloud which afflicts the soul and keeps it withdrawn from God.”
Although difficult to go through, “the dark night of the soul” can be a blessing. It makes us aware of our utter helplessness, blinds us to the distractions of the world which separate us from God, and makes us seek the Light like never before. And God promises, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 NIV.
Moments like these teach us to “trust in the Lord and rely on your God.” Isaiah 50:10 NLT. He promises to turn the darkness into light before you and smooth out the road ahead of you, guiding you by ways you have not known. (Isaiah 42:16).
Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
In the dark night of your soul, do not despair. Instead reach out in faith and grasp the hand of the Unseen and let Him lead you safely into a glorious new day! Put your faith in Him today and He will light your way!
This morning, if the darkness of night seems to have followed you into the day, if God seems distant, hope has fled and you feel lost and alone in “the dark night of the soul”, do not give up. Remember “in the face of darkness light is near.” Job 17:12.
God bless and have a beautiful day!