Blog Entry – Dark Night of the Soul

St John of the Cross back in the 1500s wrote about a paradigmatic experience he calls the dark night of the soul in which we cannot sense God but used by God in a purposeful manner nonetheless.  While some may debate whether this is a common experience by all Christians, it is plain that Scripture does document many faithful believers as feeling forsaken by God, unable to find God at least in their psalm-like cries to God.  Job says he goes left, right, forward and backward but cannot see, or perceive God.  

I’ve had some nights where maybe I’m not weeping but maybe I am having nausea because of flu-like symptoms, or maybe I am recovering from surgery, it’s at night, and no one else is around, and I feel like it is going to last forever.  I’m never getting better, and what if I remain sick or my arm never regains its function . . . forever?  And because it’s dark outside, the discomfort so strong, and people aren’t around but sleeping soundly, I sometimes wonder if God is hearing my groans also.

The psalmist encourages us saying that weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps 30:5).  There is the sureness of joy for the believer.  It’s not just that the darkness will be gone, it’s not just that we will be declared righteous and innocent because of Christ’s work on the cross, there is also the fullness of joy, of being in God’s presence forever.  There will be no need of sun or moon because the Lord God will illumine us, and the dark nights will no longer exist (Rev 22:5).  

Discussion questions:

1)      Have you ever experienced a “dark night of the soul” before?  What was that like and where was God in the midst of all of it?

2)      How have others brought hope to you when times were dark?  How can we bring hope to others? 

3)      What are you most looking forward to when we come into God’s presence & nights are gone?