Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The dark night of the soul

Psalm 22.1-2: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest."
We may be a little surprised by the words of this psalm. We may be surprised that these words are found in Holy Scripture. They seem so negative, so angst ridden. Even more shocking is that these words are spoken by Jesus himself as he suffered on the cross.
The truth of the human condition is that we all face the "dark night of the soul" sometimes. We all have to travel through some dark valleys sometimes. We all face trials that shake our faith sometimes. The psalmist is expressing what we all feel sometimes when we go through trials. He is validating our feelings. We all struggle with faith sometimes. We all have days when we wonder where God is in the trials we face. It is a normal part of our faith journey.
Let me give you some suggestions for when you face those times:
1. Let God know how you feel. The words of this psalm prove that it is o.k to let God know we are struggling.
2. Let a sister or brother in Christ know how you feel. We are not meant to walk alone in this journey of faith. When our faith falters, then our brothers and sisters in Christ can "loan us" some of their faith, pray with and for us, and let us know we are not alone.
3. Let me know. I would be glad to pray with and for you!
4. Let the church know. We have a prayer team that prays for the needs of the church. We would love to lift you up in your time of need.
We all go through ups and downs in our spiritual journey. It does not mean that we have no faith. The dark valleys can actually serve to draw us closer to God, to make us hunger for God even more.
Take courage! The valley will not last forever!

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