The Dark Night of the Soul

Bible Book: Psalms 13 : 1-6

Subject: Depression; Loneliness; Isolation; Despondency

Introduction

Tom L. Eisenman writes, “If you look for ‘dark night of the soul’ in your concordance, you won’t find it. But even if that phrase doesn’t come directly from the Bible, it’s clear that many people depicted there experienced what I’ve been describing. Few enjoyed as close a relationship with God as David, ‘a man after [God’s] own heart’ (1 Sam. 13:14). Yet David often struggled to find God’s presence in the midst of painful circumstances. In the Psalms we encounter his descriptions of the common dark-night feelings of suffering in isolation, losing one’s bearings, and having no solid place to stand.”[1]

Dr. Michael J. Quicke points out, “Christian language turns up in surprising places. For example, Robert Quinn in Deep Change writes of leaders’ need of moral power, to ‘surrender’ control, and experience ‘the dark night of the soul.’”[2] F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) writes, “In a really dark night of the soul it is always three in the morning, day after day.”[3]

R. Dwight Hill explains, “Those dark undercurrents of desperate emotions that drag us down into the murky shadows of hopelessness and despondency.

The bad news is that every follower of Christ seems to be subjected from time to time to this state of gloom. . . this so-called ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ . . .”[4]

Dr. James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) writes, “The powerful, descriptive phrase ‘dark night of the soul’ is not much used today, but it was in the Middle Ages, where it was found in the writings of the European mystics. It is a translation of the title of a book by the Spanish monk St. John of the Cross known in English as The Ascent of Mount Carmel (1578-1580). What is the dark night of the soul? It is a state of intense spiritual anguish in which the struggling, despairing believer feels he is abandoned by God.”[5]

Dr. Adrian Rogers (1931-2005) reminds us, “If you will read biographies of great Christians, almost all of them will talk about something they call the dark night of the soul. I mean, they’re serving God; they're loving God; and then, things come—perplexities. They can't understand.”[6] Remember the following biblical biographies as examples of those who experienced the dark night of the soul:

Remember Abraham’s dark night of the soul. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe comments on Genesis 15, “Abraham had an experience of what spiritual directors call ‘the dark night of the soul.’”[7] Genesis 15:12 reads, “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.” Dr. Wiersbe explains, “As a result this great man of faith was afraid, uncertain, and frustrated, and he asked the Lord why He hadn’t sent the son He had promised to him and Sarah. God permits these midnight experiences so that it is dark enough for us to see the stars and quiet enough to hear His voice reaffirm the promises He has made to us.”[8]

Remember Moses’ dark night of the soul. Numbers 11:10-15 reads, “Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!” From the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery we read the following: “But an ordeal need not directly involve another person. It might be a task or situation. . . . For Moses, leading a nation was a long-term ordeal.”[9]

Remember Elijah’s dark night of the soul. Immediately after a great spiritual victory on Mount Carmel, we read in 1 Kings 19:4-5, “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!’”

Remember Paul’s dark night of the soul. In the midst of suffering intense hardship in Asia, Paul recounts, “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves . . .” (2 Corinthians 1:8, 9a)

Remember Jacob’s dark night of the soul. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe writes, “At Bethel, God had promised to bless Jacob; and from a material point of view, the promise was fulfilled, for Jacob was now a very wealthy man. But there’s much more to the blessing of God than flocks, herds, and servants; there's also the matter of godly character and spiritual influence. During that ‘dark night of the soul,’ Jacob discovered that he’d spent his life fighting God and resisting His will, and that the only way to victory was through surrender. As A.W. Tozer said, ‘The Lord cannot fully bless a man until He has first conquered him.’ God conquered Jacob by weakening him.”[10]
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945) described Jacob’s experience as “the crippling that crowns”.[11] Some define “Israel” to mean “a God-mastered man.” From the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery we read, “Jacob, stripped of everything except his essential self, undergoes a dark night of the soul when he wrestles with the angel of God and emerges from the ordeal with a new name and a new identity, entering a new era as ‘the sun rose upon him’ (Gen 32:31).”[12]
Remember Jeremiah’s dark night of the soul. Dr. Elmer A. Martens explains, “Most serious was Jeremiah’s perplexity about God’s ways with him ([Jeremiah] 15:18). He experienced this God who called him, and whom he proclaimed as ‘the fountain of living water’ (2:13), as a dry streambed. Jeremiah found the God who described himself as faithful (9:24 [23]) to be unreliable. In his despondency, he could be compared to Elijah (1 Kgs 19:1-18) and to many others who have known the ‘dark night of the soul.’ The God who presents himself as the solution is experienced instead as the problem.

The divine response (15:19-21) was direct and compassionate. God admonished but did not scold Jeremiah. God invited him to change, for the prophet had some sorting out to do. Not all that he had spoken was ‘worthy’ or would withstand close scrutiny. The prophet had overstated his case, a common failing among those who are despondent.”[13]

Remember Job’s dark night of the soul. Job 3:1-3a and 7:16 reads, “After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job spoke, and said: ‘May the day perish on which I was born, And the night in which it was said, ‘A male child is conceived.’’ . . . I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, For my days are but a breath.” June Hunt with Hope for the Heart shares, “For those suffering during this dark night of the soul, it could be said... ‘For all of them, deep darkness is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness.’ (Job 24:17)”[14]
R. Dwight Hill writes, “Before his devastating losses, Job was indeed a righteous man (1:1-5), but it was only after the agony of his ‘dark night of the soul’ that he made the greatest journey of his life: The 18 inches from his head to his heart: ‘My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.’ (Job 42:5)”[15]

Remember Joseph’s dark night of the soul. Dr. V. Raymond Edman (1900-1967) explains, “Joseph learned that discipline in his life. [He refers to the discipline of darkness.] In the quiet and shelter of his childhood home he had come to know by dreams and visions that he was to have a place of pre-eminence among his older brothers. His pathway led through hatred, envy, and rejection by his own, who sold him into slavery in Egypt. Menial service and murderous misrepresentation were his lot in Potiphar's house, and in the prison he was forgotten of men, but not of God. He endured the discipline of darkness because, ‘Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tried him’ (Ps. 105:19, R.V.). That discipline sweetened him so that, at the summit of his success, when all Egypt was subject to his word, he could say to his brethren, ‘But as for you, ye thought evil against me: but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive’ (Gen. 50:20). The dreams of youth, disciplined by darkness, made it possible for him to perform magnanimously the prerogatives of power.”[16]

Remember John the Baptist’s dark night of the soul. Dr. Adrian Rogers shares the following on “John the Baptist—Jesus said ‘not a greater was born among woman than John the Baptist.’ And, John the Baptist got put in a prison by old Herod; and, he's down there, in such darkness. He can't understand what's going on. He's the one who said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). He's the one of whom Jesus said not a greater was born of woman than John the Baptist. He's a prophet, but more than a prophet. But, John the Baptist got into such darkness he sent for his servants, and he said, ‘You go ask that man Jesus—is He really the Messiah or should we look for somebody else?’ That's John—I mean, in darkness.”[17]
Remember Jesus Christ the Lord’s dark night of the soul. Rev. Eisenman shares the following in The Accountable Man: Pursuing Integrity Through Trust and Friendship, “Jesus Christ came to earth and experienced a dark night like no other in the history of humankind—and he suffered the worst of it while separated from His Father. He suffered this for us, not so that we would never have to suffer, but so that when we do suffer we might become more like him.”[18] “Facing the terror of the cross became Jesus' dark night of the soul in Gethsemane.”[19] Dr. James Montgomery Boice writes, “We should notice, as we do this, that not every time is a time of blessing. Nor is every place. Jesus had just come from Jerusalem, and that, far from being a place of blessing, was actually a place of persecution. Are there some who have been going through a time of persecution, testing, a dark night of the soul? So did Jesus. He was not always successful in his preaching. So, do not despair. Take heart. The time is coming when night's shadows will pass and the day of blessing will dawn.”[20]

In an article in Discipleship Journal, Gordon MacDonald shares, “The writings of Oswald Chambers reflect a time in his younger life when he went through what his daughter, Kathleen, calls a dark-night-of-the-soul experience. While never specified, something happened in the life of this man that left him never the same. Read his journals, his essays, and you pick up the vocabulary of a man who came face to face with evil and knew something firsthand about the deliverance of Christ. It’s part of the reason he was so effective with men during his years of ministry.”[21] Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) explains, “When a man gets to despair, he knows that all his thinking will never get him out, he will only get out by the sheer creative effort of God; consequently, he is in the right attitude to receive from God that which he cannot gain for himself.”[22]

In the Moody Handbook of Preaching, Dr. John Koessler shares, “Master preacher-teacher Haddon Robinson modeled this in a sermon based on the book of Ecclesiastes, which he began by saying: ‘As I look back in my life over the last several years, there was a period in which I lived in the dark night of the soul. I spent several months of my life on the sloping back of a question mark.’”[23]
Psalm 13:1-6 reads, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him’; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

In The New Guidebook for Pastors, Drs. James W. Bryant and Mac Brunson ask, “How did he [David] get out of what John Bunyan [in Pilgrim’s Progress] called ‘the slough of despond’?”[24] Rev. Tom L. Eisenman writes, “Once we’ve identified what we’re experiencing as a dark night of the soul, the question remains: How do we position ourselves to grow from it?”[25] In Psalm 13 we find an exemplary response to a dark night of the soul. Note three movements in our text.

I. First, there is a reporting to the Lord and a reminding of the Lord.

Psalm 13:1-2 reads, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?”

Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) comments, “‘How long?’ This question is repeated no less than four times. It betokens very intense desire for deliverance, and great anguish of heart. And what if there be some impatience mingled therewith; is not this the more true a portrait of our own experience? It is not easy to prevent desire from degenerating into impatience. O for grace that, while we wait on God, we may be kept from indulging a murmuring spirit! ‘How long?’ Does not the oft-repeated cry become a very HOWLING?”[26]

Dr. A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) writes, “Some of you know something of that which has been called ‘the dark night of the soul.’ Some of you have spiritual desire and deep longing for victory but it seems to you that your efforts to go on with God have only brought you more bumps and more testings and more discouragement. You are tempted to ask, ‘How long can this go on?’...
Yes, there is a dark night of the soul. There are few Christians willing to go into this dark night and that is why there are so few who enter into the light. It is impossible for them ever to know the morning because they will not endure the night. I Talk Back to the Devil, 80-81.
‘Lord, You know the dark night that I endured for a number of years— and I know I'm not alone. I pray for any who are suffering today and struggling. Bring Your deep-seated peace and the assurance that the morning is coming. Thank You that Your grace is sufficient. Amen.’”[27]

II. Second, there is a requesting from the Lord and a reasoning with the Lord.

Psalm 13:3-4 reads, “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him’; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”

2 Chronicles 1:7-12 reads, “On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’ And Solomon said to God: ‘You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?’ Then God said to Solomon: ‘Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.’” James 1:5 reads, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” God through the prophet Jeremiah invites, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” (Jeremiah 33:3) We should not ask, “Why?” out of morbid curiosity, but with the purpose to learn the lesson He is teaching to grow into His likeness.

“Come now, and let us reason together. . .” (Isaiah 1:18a) God invites us to reason with Him! This of course, is within the bounds of Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Remember, while God invites us to request from Him and to reason with Him; He still reserves some things only for Himself.

III. Third, there is a relying on the Lord and a rejoicing in the Lord.

Psalm 13:5-6 reads, “But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

In the hymn titled, “My Hope is Built” Edward Mote (1797-1874), confesses in the beginning of the second stanza:

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.[28]

That’s what David did! That’s what we should do as well. Dr. V. Raymond Edman writes, “This is the discipline of darkness: Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.”[29] Isaiah 50:10 read, “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.” Thomas Goodwin (1600-1679), a Puritan divine, states, “One who truly fears God, and is obedient to Him, may be in a condition of darkness, and have no light; and he may walk many days and years in that condition."[30]

Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe writes, “At times even the most dedicated Christian feels ‘in the dark’ and wonders why God seems so far away. During the Boxer Rebellion, the China Inland Mission suffered greatly; and its founder, J. Hudson Taylor, said to a friend, ‘I cannot read; I cannot think; I cannot even pray; but I can trust.’ It was a dark time, but God eventually gave light.”

Conclusion

Another David, had a dark night of the soul, namely, David Brainerd (1718-1747). Dan Graves shares the following, “David Brainerd, was a legendary pioneer missionary to the American Indians. He died in 1747 when he was only 29 years old, but his journal has inspired Christians in every generation since. . . .

David’s journal reminds us that following God isn’t all peaches and cream. There were times when he knew God was wonderfully close but other times when he couldn't find him at all. He came to realize what many spiritual giants have also discovered, that even in the dark nights God is still with us regardless of inner fluctuations. God is more faithful than our emotions. We can trust Him at all times.”[31]

Dr. A. W. Tozer writes, “Now let us keep our theology straight about all this. There is not in this painful stripping one remote thought of human merit. The ‘dark night of the soul’ knows not one dim ray of the treacherous light of self-righteousness. We do not by suffering earn the anointing for which we yearn, nor does this devastation of soul make us dear to God nor give us additional favor in His eyes. The value of the stripping experience lies in its power to detach us from life's passing interests and to throw us back upon eternity. It serves to empty our earthly vessels and prepare us for the inpouring of the Holy Spirit.”[32]

Dr. James L. Wilson writes, “Many times, God does not engrave great people with passion in the light. God carves passion, that key element of greatness, on their character in the ‘dark night of the soul.’ . . . Dark times don't necessarily mean you are out of God’s favor, they may be the turning point God uses to give you the passion that will propel you into your destiny.”[33]

Rev. Tom L. Eisenman writes, “Often our dark-night experiences will involve some of what Jesus suffered. We may have to endure acts of injustice or betrayal—even by close friends—that can bring profound disillusionment. Experiences such as these deepen our intimacy with the Lord and grow our compassion for what He did for us. A purification takes place when we cannot count on others; we are driven back to the Lord as the true and trustworthy friend.”[34] Remember these things not if, but when you have a dark night of the soul. When that time comes you can depend on Jesus, He promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b). May the Lord grant us wisdom and courage and strength to face the dark night of the soul!

[2]Robert E. Quinn, Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996), xii. Cited by Michael Quicke in 360-Degree Leadership: Preaching To Transform Congregations, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2006), 32. Database © 2009 WORDsearch Corp.

[8]Warren W. Wiersbe, Life Sentences: Discover Key Themes of 63 Bible Characters, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 46.

[9]Dictionary of Biblical Imagery: An encyclopedic exploration of the images, symbols, motifs, metaphors, figures of speech and literary patterns of the Bible, General Editors: Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, 1998), 611. Database © 2006 WORDsearch Corp.

[10]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary– Old Testament – Pentateuch. Be Authentic, Genesis 25-50, “Catching Up With Yesterday-Wrestling,” (Genesis 32), 133. Database © 2007 WORDsearch Corp.

[11]G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit, Vol. 7, (London: Pickering and Inglis, 1956), 313.

[12]Dictionary of Biblical Imagery: An encyclopedic exploration of the images, symbols, motifs, metaphors, figures of speech and literary patterns of the Bible, gen. eds. Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, 1998), 698. Database © 2006 WORDsearch Corp.

[13]Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, gen. ed. Philip W. Comfort, Volume 8: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamenations. Elmer A. Martens, Jeremiah, (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2005), 386. Database © 2008 WORDsearch Corp.

[16]V. Raymond Edman, The Disciplines of Life, (Wheaton, IL: Scripture Press Foundation, 1948), 35.

[18]Tom L. Eisenman, The Accountable Man: Pursuing Integrity Through Trust and Friendship, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 137.

[19]Dictionary of Biblical Imagery: An encyclopedic exploration of the images, symbols, motifs, metaphors, figures of speech and literary patterns of the Bible, gen. eds. Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, 1998), 611. Database © 2006 WORDsearch Corp.

[20]James Montgomery Boice, An Expositional Commentary – John, Volume 3: Those Who Received Him (John 9-12). Page 802

[26]Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Psalm 13, Accessed: 01/23/15, http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps013.htm

[27]Reprinted from Tozer on Christian Leadership by A.W. Tozer, copyright © 2001 by Zur Ltd. Used by permission of WingSpread Publishers, a division of Zur Ltd. Aiden Wilson Tozer, “Trials and Pain: The Dark Night of the Soul,” Tozer on Leadership - Saturday, December 1, 2012.

[28]Edward Mote, “My Hope is Built,” (circa 1834), Accessed: 01/24/15, http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/y/myhopeis.htm

[29]V. Raymond Edman, The Disciplines of Life, (Wheaton, IL: Scripture Press Foundation, 1948), 38.

[30]The Evangelical Repository, ed. Joseph T. Cooper, Vol. 2, Thomas Goodwin, “Child of Light Walking in Darkness,” (Isaiah 50:10-11), (Philadelphia, PA: William S. Young, 1843), 230.

[31]Dan Graves, “David Brainerd’s Dark Night of the Soul”, Accessed: 01/24/15, http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1701-1800/david-brainerds-dark-night-of-the-soul-11630242.html .

Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort 30775 Jay Drive Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527

Author of Don’t Miss the Revival! Messages for Revival and Spiritual Awakening from Isaiah and

Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice [Both available on Amazon.com in hardcover, paperback and eBook]