Dark Night of the Soul: A Term Paper

What do we do in the dark night?

In the dark night of the soul, we might be tempted to hide away our struggle. What if we're not as spiritual as the people around us? We don't want to look as if we have failed. And we also don't want to tell God about it, even if we fully understand that He already knows. The psalms of disorientation give us an example of how we should come to God in these times.

In Psalm 42, David both praises God and complains to God simultaneously:

"O God my rock," I cry,

"Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I wander around in grief,

oppressed by my enemies?"

Their taunts break my bones.

They scoff, "Where is this God of yours?"

Why am I discouraged?

Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God!

I will praise him again—

my Savior and my God!

(verses 9-11, NLT)

This Psalm of Disorientation tells us that we can come to God and lament, we can complain and pour out our hearts to Him. We should lament and come to God during our dark nights of the soul. Also, we should avoid trying to fix our spiritual life. Instead, we should now recognize the things God is showing us; the things we cannot fix ourselves. This is a time of reflection, not action.

And lastly, we should not try to generate consolation. We shouldn't aim for that giddy feeling of spiritual romance, but instead, acknowledge that this is just as important a time in our spiritual walk as our times of consolations were. It doesn't need to be forced, because what we were doing was never generating consolation in the first place. Those times of consolation were gifts, and they can be only gifts again.

Pastors are not exempt from dark nights of the soul. Often, the pastor goes through their dark night just before the church herself does. This is meant to be a time of preparation for the pastor, so he can understand the way his congregation suffers during this time.

There are two types of pastors during desolation according to Dr. Coe: the rancher and the shepherd. The rancher tries to herd the congregation out of desolation forcefully. The shepherd is someone who has been through the dark nights along with the sheep, and will show the sheep how to find God in these times.

It's important to stay faithful to spiritual disciplines, but also acknowledging what God is trying to show us in times of desolation. It will do us no good to abandon our spiritual disciplines after coming so far from who we once were. Instead, it's best to find a mentor, continue forward in our spiritual disciplines, while waiting for the love of God - however distant it may seem at the time - to fill us once again. Ephesians 3:17 says, "...Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong."

To continue to trust God, even when we don't feel Him close, will strengthen us in the long run.

But oh... how hard that training is!