Dark Night of the Soul.

[CaptainToad]

Keep it up brother.

Btw something that I learnt, dont trust any brothers as they care for their own good and let you down if you are in a bad shape and they might have nothing to gain from you.
Guess Job and Joseph learnt the same lesson.

 

[W2L]

I have no other option, because God is my only hope. I'm dead already and my life is in Him alone. He is my life. To me its like peter said to the Lord in John 6, he said: "where else will we go? You have the words of life."

 

[brinny]

After much deliberation, I will not be changing the title of this thread.

I've decided that i will not be changing the title of the thread. I believe i've made it quite clear what the purpose of this thread is for, and the purpose of it fits right into the guidelines of the Deeper Fellowship Forum.

God bless us, ev'ry one.

 

[brinny]

Keep it up brother.

Btw something that I learnt, dont trust any brothers as they care for their own good and let you down if you are in a bad shape and they might have nothing to gain from you.
Guess Job and Joseph learnt the same lesson.

And Jabez also comes to mind.

 

[brinny]

Job's Song.

This song was co-written by Dan Henning, who was was struggling with end-stage heart failure.

 

[thesunisout]

Dark Dark Night of the Soul.

Anybody ever been there?

Yes, I've been through this, as an unbeliever seeking God. I was brought to the lowest of low points before I could receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

I've been a Christian for six years now, and what I can testify about in regards to a dark night is this; God has been changing the way that He reveals Himself to me. At first, things were more obvious and dramatic; now, although I see evidence of God in my life every single day, it is like the volume has been turned down so to speak. I don't feel the connection as I did before, which has forced me to deepen my trust in Him.

Paul went through a dark night of the soul:

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

A key point to this is prayer, not just our prayers, but the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Meaning, we need to be in fellowship and praying together. The word says to trade the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise. Praise and worship in dark times I believe will always touch the heart of God, because the word says that a broken and contrite heart He will not despise.

Also, this can be a very selfish time where we are hurt because God isn't doing what we think He should be doing, rather than seeking His face about how we should be responding to what He is doing. As long as we have a selfish perspective we will not learn the lesson He is wanting to teach us. God bless, I will pray for the light to shine and lead you forward.

Psalm 34:18

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

 

[Caval]

I've gone through it. I knew going through it only God could get me through it. I remember trying to find people in the Bible who I could relate to. Job was definitely one I read at the time.
I came out of it with the intense realization I never wanted to be separated from God.

 

[W2L]

Job's Song.

This song was co-written by Dan Henning, who was was struggling with end-stage heart failure.

That was touching.

 

[W2L]

As I woke up I was reading the latest responses to this thread, that song brinny posted really effected me. It made me weep. The two posts after that seemed to speak to me as well. Earlier today I experienced a moment in myself that was dark, dark as in ugly, and I condemned myself, I felt so separated from God because of it. Perhaps it was the sword of the spirit which cut into me. I will praise the Lord, my savior, my redeemer.


A few scriptures I'm meditating on, I don't know if they are relevant but its something I been thinking of the past day or two.

Matthew 24:34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

 

[W2L]

I haven't hear this song for a long time. Its beautiful.

 

[W2L]

Forgive me if I talk too much, I cannot help but praise the Lord. In my distress the Lord heard me, he is worthy of praise. Never give up hope, no matter how dark things look, because we walk by faith not sight. The scriptures say we have died and been raised with Christ in heaven, and our life is hidden with Christ in God, in heaven.

Isaiah 60:22
The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the Lord;
in its time I will do this swiftly.”


Psalms 18 For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1 I love you, Lord, my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

13 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.

19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.

22 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.

23 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.

24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.

27 You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

28 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

29 With your help I can advance against a troop[e];
with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.

36 You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.

39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.

40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.

41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.

42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled them[f] like mud in the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,

44 foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.

45 They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.

46 The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!

47 He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,

48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.

49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.

50 He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.

 

[CaptainToad]

One more thing that comes to mind and Imho is of utmost importance, the idea that God has forsaken us, we are humans, we dont know what God is currently thinking about us, its natural to consider concepts if HIM being angry with us. This may surely be a wrong thinking, but still if the so-called dark night of the soul continues or in my experience returns intermittently we are left i the dark or so it seems. Yet God is with us all the time and makes His presence shown to us, thats my experience, and if we think we cant take it anymore He brings to another level. I just wonder how many levels there may be.
Something that I have observed within me, us a gradual lack of compassion towards christians who have seemingly less suffering circumstances in their minds. But thats just me, I feel more compassionate towards people who dont know Christ.

 

[W2L]

Having problems dealing with this website. I keep holding it in, waiting for it to dissipate but it doesn't.

 

[brinny]

Having problems dealing with this website. I keep holding it in, waiting for it to dissipate but it doesn't.

Would you care to share, brother?

 

[brinny]

I haven't hear this song for a long time. Its beautiful.

Love this song.

 

[W2L]

Would you care to share, brother?

It wouldn't be wise. Its like a lot of things in my life, i need to stuff it down inside and allow it to consume me. Its one of those things where there is no answer that would do any good, so its something that eats away at you.

 

[brinny]

It wouldn't be wise. Its like a lot of things in my life, i need to stuff it down inside and allow it to consume me. Its one of those things where there is no answer that would do any good, so its something that eats away at you.

Would you like me to pray for you, brother?

 

[brinny]

Shattered

She doesn't know...
that no matter
how scattered
how fractured
how fragmented

how many
thousands of slivers
from a soul shattered
beyond recognition

there still beckons
One Who hears
Who sees
Who knows

The Potter
specializes in
pieces
chards
slivers
fragments

He tenderly
picks up each piece
never leaving
a speck behind
and fits each fragment
back together again.

He mends
shattered souls best
and in Him
there is found healing
and wholeness
and peace and rest.

(It was written in honor of a dear soul who was traumatized from insidiously horrendous abuses and whose "dark night of the soul" seemed never-ending.)

 

[brinny]

Safe Harbor

In the seeming madness
the gleeful loathesome gladness
the darkness
the cloud of denial
there shone a light
it led here
to hearts and eyes
that saw clear,
minds unfettered
by the sickness
of soul
in this land.
And thus,
like a lighthouse
to a ship
tossed to and fro
I found reprieve
a safe harbor
where I could breeeeathe.

Thank you for being my safe harbor.

(i wrote this during a time of great heartbreak and grief, when it seemed that God did not hear my prayers and He was silent, and the person i was grieving over suffered and died horribly. I found refuge with some dear dear souls, in a very unexpected way. It seemed they were they only ones not cheering on her death. They were my safe harbor and refuge.)

 

[W2L]

Would you like me to pray for you, brother?

Sure, that would be welcome. Thank you.