If you are feeling disconnected or alarmed by feeling spiritually alone, you may be asking: what is the dark night of the soul? You won’t find this exact phrase in your Bible, but it is a real occurrence in the life of a Christian. It’s a spiritual experience of dryness and alienation from God that is often bewildering, leaving you wondering why this is happening to you and how long it will take before it’s over.
Rest assured that the dark night of the soul is a normal, albeit painful experience in the life of a believer. It is brought on by circumstances that can leave us feeling like Job did – abandoned by God.
The good news is that while Job went through fiery trials, his time in the dark night eventually brought him to declaring of God “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;”. This is the intention of God for every person he leads through the dark night of the soul.
I hope you will find encouragement and answers to your questions in this series of four featured articles. Scroll to the bottom of the page to easily navigate between posts.
Who Wrote Dark Night of the Soul?
The term “dark night of the soul” originates from the Christian writings of John of the Cross, a Carmelite monk who wrote a poem by the same title between 1577 and 1579. John of the Cross lived in what is now Spain. He was a contemporary of Theresa of Avila; both were considered mystics. He experienced great difficulty while being persecuted, which is when he wrote the poem “Dark Night of the Soul.”
Dark Night Symptoms
In his epic poem, John of the Cross detailed the spiritual experiences of Christ followers where they feel disconnected and cut off from God and very much alone. When we are in the midst of a dark night of the soul, we can feel disconnected, alone, and spiritually empty.
The spiritual things we formerly loved, like Bible study and prayer, lose their appeal to us. We find ourselves struggling to commune with God in the way that we did before. We are still desirous of God, hungering and thirsting for him, but nothing satisfies. Because of this, it can feel like God abandoned us. If shame or dismay takes over, it feels alarming. Suddenly, the things that we did before that grounded us in our faith no longer appeal. We may even give up the effort because it comes to feel pointless.
When I went through the dark night a few years ago, it felt like I was having a crisis of faith. I would find myself wondering if this thing called Christianity was real. I became terrified I was going to fall away from the faith. Fearfully, I stuffed those thoughts and attempted to soldier on.
When I began to understand my circumstances weren’t a punishment from God, that I wasn’t falling away from the faith, and that instead, God was using them to draw me deeper and closer to him, I was comforted.
When Does the Dark Night Happen?
We experience this when God reaches toward us to grow us spiritually. Christians usually think of difficulties or struggles in terms of being bad and unwanted, but one of my favorite authors, Alicia Britt Chole has another perspective that I found profoundly helpful as I navigated through my dark night of the soul.
In her book The Night is Normal, Chole explains that disillusionment can be a catalyst for deeper understanding and spiritual maturity. We think of this as negative and to be avoided, but Chole urges us instead to view disillusionment as an opportunity for transformation.
Being in the midst of painful trials, and feeling as if we are abandoned by God, is an excruciating experience. It’s important to note that the this dryness is actually an invitation of God to seek him and know him more deeply. It’s an opportunity to be purified and to grow into spiritual maturity. While this may bring very little comfort to you now, when the night is over and the day dawns again, you will know the joy of a soul restored and deeper intimacy with God.
References:
“Poem: The Dark Night of the Soul,” John of the Cross
The Night is Normal, Alicia Britt Chole
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