October 18th, 2023
Wednesday, October 18th
The Dark Night of the Soul
By: Pastor Melissa
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
(Psalm 42:5-6)
Have you ever felt like the psalmist in Psalm 42? Downcast, disturbed, not wanting to leave your home, not interested in anything or anyone, spiritually and emotionally depleted? St. John of The Cross, a 16th century Catholic reformer, coined this season in a believer’s life as “The Dark Night of the Soul”. In his discovery and his research, and for many that have come after, all will experience a season where our souls are downcast.
In the dark night, though we may feel abandoned, rejected, and without purpose, our desire for God still runs deep. In the dark we cannot help but know we must put our hope in God for He is our Savior, even when we cannot feel Him or see Him. It is in these moments that God is freeing us from attachments, forcing us to slow down and be still with Him. He is showing us graciously that apart from Him it is empty and void. He is preparing us for the next.
“As the believer perseveres through this ‘dark night’; where no consolation of God is experienced, but not wanting to turn back to the futility of his old ways, a breakthrough ultimately occurs whereby, through sheer grace, the believer begins to experience the interior presence of God..” (St. John of The Cross)
If you are in the season of the dark night, rest, be still. Hold on to your faith and keep pursuing God. These are “the birth pains of a freer life and deeper prayer” (Gerald May). If you have gone through this season before, be a voice of prayer and a calming presence amid chaos. If you have not been through a dark night, thank God for His grace and mercy.
No matter the season we may find ourselves in, meditate and be still with Psalm 42 and God’s presence. Knowing these songs written out of anguish and despair are there to point us to the One who is our hope and refuge.
The Dark Night of the Soul
By: Pastor Melissa
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
(Psalm 42:5-6)
Have you ever felt like the psalmist in Psalm 42? Downcast, disturbed, not wanting to leave your home, not interested in anything or anyone, spiritually and emotionally depleted? St. John of The Cross, a 16th century Catholic reformer, coined this season in a believer’s life as “The Dark Night of the Soul”. In his discovery and his research, and for many that have come after, all will experience a season where our souls are downcast.
In the dark night, though we may feel abandoned, rejected, and without purpose, our desire for God still runs deep. In the dark we cannot help but know we must put our hope in God for He is our Savior, even when we cannot feel Him or see Him. It is in these moments that God is freeing us from attachments, forcing us to slow down and be still with Him. He is showing us graciously that apart from Him it is empty and void. He is preparing us for the next.
“As the believer perseveres through this ‘dark night’; where no consolation of God is experienced, but not wanting to turn back to the futility of his old ways, a breakthrough ultimately occurs whereby, through sheer grace, the believer begins to experience the interior presence of God..” (St. John of The Cross)
If you are in the season of the dark night, rest, be still. Hold on to your faith and keep pursuing God. These are “the birth pains of a freer life and deeper prayer” (Gerald May). If you have gone through this season before, be a voice of prayer and a calming presence amid chaos. If you have not been through a dark night, thank God for His grace and mercy.
No matter the season we may find ourselves in, meditate and be still with Psalm 42 and God’s presence. Knowing these songs written out of anguish and despair are there to point us to the One who is our hope and refuge.
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