Even In The Midst Of The Dark Nights Of The Soul
It is in the midst of the dark nights of the soul we learn real strength! Strength that is grounded in the Word of God and enables us to stand in spite of all that is going on around us!
In Zephaniah 3:17 we read: “The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing. “ [Amplified Bible]
Over the last couple of weeks I have been going through some real spiritual warfare, especially in the area of trust, of truly letting go and letting God have control.
As I have promised, I would always be honest and open with what is going on in my walk with the Lord. It has been hard for me to let go. To remove my hand, to release it to my Father and know that He see’s the whole picture, where I only see through a glass darkly and find it hard to comprehend the why of everything.
One of the things the Lord spoke to me years and years ago, was that He wanted me to stop trying to figure things out and simply trust Him.
I found myself dealing with anger and hurts that I thought I had dealt with, buried.
But then comes the holidays with the theme of families, couples and so forth and things rose to the surface and once again, I gave them to the Father and ask forgiveness.
As I gave it all to Him, the Lord brought to remembrance Zephaniah 3:17, which put it into perspective for me.
The Lord says to us, that He is in the midst of us, in the midst of the dark nights, of the times of being alone, of being battle worn, that we have become the center of His attention!
That He is mighty, to the bringing down of the strongholds of the enemy. That He indeed is our saviour, who saves, who actually sets us free when we come to Him and embrace Him with our heart.
He rejoices over us. He takes pleasure in you, in me, when we come to Him in adoration, in worship, with a heart that is open and broken and pliable in His hands. He gives us that peace which passes all understanding.
Because of His love, when we come to Him, when we give it all to Him, He forgives us, He will be silent, He will not remember what He has forgiven, it no longer exists in His heart, in His eyes. He see’s us through His Son. That is total and complete forgiveness.
In the midst of the dark nights, when we turn to Him, when we cast ourselves upon Him, He will exult over us, even with singing, with rejoicing and He takes joy in us.
My Father has made Himself strong, He has made me to know that He knows His plans for me, for you and His plans for us are good plans and He want’s us to know, that indeed as we walk, this walk of faith, though not seeing, knowing that by faith, we will see the Father fulfill His word and His plans for us, as His children.
Remember my friends, especially during this time of year, remember that our Father rejoices over us, even with singing, that it is a Song of Love, of forgiveness, of healing, that like the balm of Gilead, it will heal the deepest wounds and it will bring peace to the heart, even when it does not seem possible.
Yes, even in the midst of the dark nights of the soul, it is the time that we draw strength, focus on Him and realize that our strength is from Him and Him alone and together, we shall be able to look back and see what great and wondrous things the Father has done as we abandon ourselves to Him.
December 12th, 2005 at 23:15
Your words are enlightening,encouraging and a welcome to this heart of mine that has felt what you feel; perhaps under different circumstances, but of the same consequence. The willingness of letting go and letting God. I am praising God for you and also for His strength and love that always shines through for all of us to know. I have to say also, that often times your writing leans to the poetic…. Miss you, my friend…..I opened up a prayer blog….stop by and visit me….the addy is http://www.trailofprayers.blogspot.com
I named it Trail of Prayers…. God Bless
December 12th, 2005 at 23:35
Excellent post…glad to hear again…was wondering how you are doing…it is a difficult time of year. My dil is dealing with the impending death of her little cousin, almost 16, from cancer…moreso difficult during this month. All of us feel so sad for the whole family, even though we know they shall be together for eternity. December and November are the months most of my loved ones have died as well…and this makes it harder this time of year. But we know all these hard places are temporary…maybe even VERY temporary the way prophecy seems to be playing out so quickly these days. We know “HE knows where I am, every hour of every day,…He hears each word I may say….even though there are times I have been outside of HIS will…I have NEVER been out of HIS care”…words from a song, but so true.
You are learning things in this valley you could never learn on the mountain top and surely you will never forget. You will be comforted in order to comfort others as you have been comforted. “God will make a way, when it seems there is no way.” In scripture I loved learning that He provides THE way of escape…not “a way” as good ol KJV says it…I like the literal so much better! THE way…as in a singular WAY…reminds me of the path being straight and narrow that leads to HIM!
May the LORD bless you and keep you, may He make His face to shine upon you and give you peace…each and every day! Even second by second if needed.
If you think of my small grandson…please remember him to the FATHER! He is having some struggles again…mom is trying to figure out what has triggered them…she is in contact with their doc too, of course.
I hope you are surrounding yourself with good company, as well as the LORD. And finding others to go places with hopefully too. This is a time of much good music. We are primarily listening to it at home lately, but sure appreciate all those wonderful CDs we have collected. Music is so necessary as a balm to the wounded heart…hope you have plenty to listen to as well!
Blessings, Elizabeth
December 15th, 2005 at 00:57
Great words brother! May we always remember He is the great I Am!!!
I enjoyed our time of fellowship this week.
December 15th, 2005 at 08:43
December 15th, 2005 at 08:49
December 15th, 2005 at 08:54
December 15th, 2005 at 09:14
Wow…you have been there a year now…isn’t amazing all that has happened this year??
Thanks so much for the prayers…we all appreciate it so much and tell your mom thanks too! One never gets too much prayer support!
I was just thinking of the little song we used to sing so long ago… “You can have a song in your heart in the night, after every mile, after every trial. Anyone can sing when the sun’s shining bright, but you need a song in your heart at night.” Remember that little chorus?
Blessings…stay warm (ice storming here today) and stay safe and enjoy the company of your family…how fun you will be with the grandchildren over the holidays…now THAT is fun (from one old Nana to a grandpa)!!! When I was up last week to help watch my grandsons for a few days, little Nathan siddled up to me and hugged me and said, “Oh Nana, you are just the bestest Nana in the whole world and I just LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!” Now money can’t buy that kind of happiness and I wish you a lot of that kind!!
Blessings,
Elizabeth
December 18th, 2005 at 19:40
December 18th, 2005 at 20:35
Hey Paul, sorry you’re struggling with some stuff… Holidays are often tough in that regard. ((((HUGS)))
December 22nd, 2005 at 19:21