Have you ever felt like your soul was taken to a dark, desolate place? You couldn’t pinpoint anything you had done wrong. Nevertheless, God felt distant, even though with every fiber of your being, you knew God had not abandoned you.

Circumstances may have seemed hopeless, but still, a weak flame of hope flickered in your soul. You may have felt guilty because you weren’t producing like you thought you “should,” but some inner sense assured you this is exactly where you needed to be for right now.

Times like this for a Christ-follower are often called a “dark night of the soul.” The term “dark night” originated from a poem written by St. John of the Cross, a 16th century Spanish Roman Catholic priest, mystic, and Carmelite friar who described "dark night of the soul," as a period of spiritual and emotional distress experienced by Christians on their journey toward God. John believed it is a natural part of spiritual development when God works passively within the soul.

A couple months ago, I attended a spiritual direction retreat in Baltimore, Maryland. My friend Dr. Stephanie Nance’s excellent presentation, “Soul Formation through the Dark Night,” informed and encouraged me since I believe I may have been traveling through a “dark night” for the past several months.

Generally, the “dark night” is triggered by an event that causes a disruption in one’s world as they have known it. For me, the disruption was persistent physical pain. For others, it may be an unexpected loss, significant disappointment, or failure.

Dr. Gerald May, Christian psychiatrist and theologian, explained the “Dark Night is an ongoing spiritual process in which we are liberated from attachments and compulsions and empowered to live and love more freely.” There’s hope in the “dark night” because rather than fighting against God, this time is characterized by a willingness to surrender and even invite God to work in a “new way.”

I will never invite a “dark night” spiritual experience. They are not pleasant! But I believe the outcome is rewarding. Awaiting on the other side are deeper understanding of God’s goodness and a new level of peace and interior confidence.

If you may be going through a spiritual season of “darkness,” I invite you to join me in this prayer:

Prayer for the Dark Night

God, I am not asking you to hurry up and fix my problem,

But, please, as I learn how to surrender to Your will and timing,

Help me travel through this dark and difficult season.

Teach me how to show up and trust

The unseen work You are accomplishing in my soul.

Amen

Dark Night

Happy Spring