The Dark Night of The Soul

Intro: There has been a common phrase used for a while in the church called the dark night of the soul. It comes from a poem that St. John of the Cross wrote in the 16th century about spiritual advancement but more commonly it has been adopted as a statement denoting a time of spiritual depression in the Christians life, which seems to strike many believers. In this time, The Christian can feel like they are having a crisis of faith, like the weight of all of the world is on their shoulders which is only as a bad as it is because in those times, they Christian feels as if God is far removed from them, out of sight, and not concerned with them at all. We can even feel as if God has somehow had enough of us and abandoned us all together. We feel a particularly deep loneliness that seems to make us feel like we are walking through a swamp that slows our steps more and more with each stride we take. This dark night of the soul is a time when helplessness seems abundant, comfort is minimal, and condemnation seems near. An these feelings that the Christian has during this time in their walk effects them more when they dont know why its even happening and when they feel like they are the only ones going through it.

Today: Spiritual depression: Those who have experienced it, why it happens, and whats the fix?

Those Who Have Experienced Spiritual Depression

Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-4)

Persecution

Needed reaffirming of God’s power

David (Psalm 51)

Sin

Needed Reaffirming of God's Forgiveness

a truly repentant heart

Jesus (Matthew 26:38-39)

Gods greatest missions come with anxiety

Jesus Shows that his deepest desire is for God’s will to be done

Reasons For Spiritual Depression

The Fallen World

Death and suffering all around

The weight of our responsibilities

Loneliness

Persecution

When enemies abound, friends seem few

the devil wants you to believe:

see what this lifestyle gets you, nothing

If God were really with you would he let this happen?

If Jesus and the apostles went through all they did, why would we be so special as to avoid it?

The kind of person who thinks that once you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ all your problems are left behind and the story will be ‘they all lived happily ever after’ is certain sooner or later to suffer from this spiritual depression.

Spiritual Depression, 51

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Sin

unrepentant sin

God’s Discipline (Hebrews 12:4-11)

a sign of Gods love, not hatred

Constant failure in the battle against sin, even when repented of can leave you feeling debilitated

look to Christ

Doubt

the devils greatest weapon sometimes is doubt

Doubt that God loves you

If the devil can convince you that you don't serve a loving God or that He no longer loves you, then giving him up will be that much easier

Doubt that God can keep forgiving you

Spiritual depression or unhappiness in the Christian life is very often due to our failure to realize the greatness of the Gospel.

Spiritual Depression, 34

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Doubt that Gods default disposition to you is one of mercy

Eph 2:4

Doubt that you are part of His family

a child having to prove himself to his father that hes part of the family

Remedy’s For Spiritual Depression

Know That God is Not Oblivious

Psalm 34:18

God is with you in the pain, God is with you in the sorrow, God is guiding you through the darkness , God is preparing the way for you even while you cannot see it. Gods heart toward you is one of unlimited, unconditioned, uncontainable mercy. His feels your heart condition in a way you yourself do not feel it. His care for you is greater than your care for yourself. His concern for your spiritual advancement is greater than your own concern for it. He is not oblivious too the darkness that surrounds you, rather he steps in the midst of his, carrying you along the way to safer pastures. And when that first break of light pierces your eyes as you walk out that darkness, you can see clearly the one who has been holding you up the whole way, even though in the darkness you could not see him. God is not oblivious, He is the great caretaker of our souls, one who will never cast us out, one who delights to draw near to you in your darkness and does not separates himself from you in it.

Know That Jesus Suffered More

more than we could ever imagine

Gentle and Lowly Quote (He first quotes BB Warfield) “In the presence of mental anguish, the physical tortures of the crucifixion retire into the background, and we may believe that our Lord, though he died on the cross, yet died not of the cross, but, as we commonly say, of a broken heart.”

“When communion with God had been one’s oxygen, one’s meat and drink, throughout one’s whole life, without a single moment of interruption by sin - to suddenly bear the unspeakable weight of all our sins? Who could survive that? To lose that depth of communion was to die. The great love at the heart of the universe was being rent in two. The world’s Light was going out.”

Keep Going!

One of the most effective things a Christian can do while trudging through their season of Spiritual depression is to keep your feet moving. Keep trudging through the swamp and you will notice that the more you keep moving the waters and muck of depression will recede as you make it to solid ground. You may start off up to your waist in it but if you keep watch and keep moving you will notice the levels of muck getting lower and lower. Keep your eyes focused on the shore, where Jesus is in sweet delight to see you even though hes been there with you the whole time. Keep living the Christian life, keep yourself drenched in the Word of God, keep prayer as a trusty sword by your side and you will make it through. Just keep focused on working for Jesus and don't focus on how much depression you are stuck in.

To have something to do for Jesus, and to go right on with it, is one of the best ways to get over a bereavement, or any heavy mental depression. If you can pursue some great object, you will not feel that you are living for nothing.

We Endeavor, Page 81

Charles Spurgeon