Dark Night Of The Soul

Introduction

I have recently received an article that I liked very much. It was entitled, “Eight gifts that do not cost a cent.” Among them are the following:

The Gift of Compliment: You can really brighten someone’s day with a simple and sincere, “You look great in red,” “That was a terrific dinner,” or “You did a super job.”

The Gift of Listening: To be a good listener you must Really listen. Let the other person speak with no interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response…just listening!

The Gift of Affection: Be generous with Appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back, and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.

The Gift of Laughter: Share your laughter and humor by clipping cartoons, jokes, articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, “I love to laugh with you!”

The Gift of a Written Note: You can send someone a simple note that says “thanks for the help,” or a poem, story, or any kind of upbeat message. The most brief, handwritten note can be remembered for a lifetime and even change a life, you just never know.

The Gift of a Favor: Every day, go out of your way to do something kind for someone else. There are plenty of opportunities for you to do something nice for a friend, relative, or co-worker on a daily basis. Show the love of Christ with your acts of kindness to others. Let them see Jesus in you.

The Gift of Solitude: There are times when we all want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others. The last I will share is number one on the list. It is The Gift of a Cheerful Disposition: The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind cheery word to someone. It’s really not so hard to say, “Hello” or “Thank you.” I do like that list! There are precious gifts that cost us nothing monetarily. However, some people feel so low that they find it difficult to be able to give anyone the gift of a cheerful disposition. Have you ever found yourself in that situation?

In our study of spiritual warfare, we are currently engaged and looking at some very personal areas in which the warfare rages. Specifically, we have been looking at emotions in which the evil one seeks to paralyze our growth and destroy our victory. Besides the emotions we have already studied, there is yet another which serves as a battleground in our spiritual lives. It is the emotion of sadness or depression. There are many instances in which biblical characters were “sad” or “downcast.” For example in Psalm 42:6 the psalmist says, “My soul is downcast within me; therefore, I will remember you from the land of the Jordan.” Sadness or spiritual depression is an area in which Satan may lead us to be discouraged and therefore to stop our growth, witness, and ministry. The same chapter in Psalms shows us how to handle this for in 42:11 the Bible says, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him my Savior and my God.” Today, let’s look at some ways to break free from this sadness and spiritual depression by putting our hope in God, trusting in Him, and praising Him even in the midst of difficult days. He is always faithful, has always been faithful, and always will be!

We have all come to the place in our lives at one time or another when we say, “I do not feel the presence of God in my life as I once did, my prayers don’t seem to be answered.” We all have times of spiritual depression and they can be very terrible time.

Job experienced this condition, which some have called the dark night of the soul, “So I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned to me. When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’” (Job 7:3-4).

The question is, “How can a Christian overcome the problem of spiritual depression?” What can you do when you feel God is no longer close to you? Spiritual depression is both a sin and a sickness and there is a way out of this dark night of the soul. This is the promise of Isaiah 61:1-3. Aren’t these beautiful words? Let me share some truths I have learned in ministry.

I. To Overcome Depression, Do What You Can To Locate And Correct Physical Causes

Since spiritual depression is a kind of sickness, many causes can be removed by common sense. It is blasphemy to expect God to work a miracle in your behalf if you continue in ways of living that head straight toward nervous exhaustion.

Most of us know to live better than we do. We work too much or too little. We get a lack of sleep and exercise. We eat too much or too little or the wrong kind of food. We let pressures mount upon us. All of this contributes to spiritual depression. Faith cannot proceed victoriously until such conditions are corrected. So, to overcome depression you must do what you can to correct its physical cause.

II. To Overcome Depression, Accept Without Rebellion Those Things You Cannot Change

There is a poem that expresses this: “For every problem under the sun, there is a remedy or there is none. If there is one--find it, if there is none--never mind it.” There are conditions that nothing can change. When a loved one has died, we can’t bring them back. When our youth is gone, we can’t have it again. Certain things can’t be changed.

The Christian can learn to accept some of those factors as inevitable and rather than waste time trying to change them, exert his human and spiritual resources in learning to accept them. We must also learn to accept our own weaknesses. We shouldn’t spend our lives in depression over what we can’t do, but in what we can do. When we learn to accept our limitations, that is a step in overcoming depression.

III. To Overcome Depression, Direct Your Attention Outside Yourself

To minister to the needs of others is one step toward a genuine cure of spiritual depression. Depression is primarily a form of turning into oneself--introversion. Jesus said, “Take no thought of yourself, what you shall wear, and eat . . . “

We mustn’t sit still. Inactivity simply encourages the evil which Satan puts in our path. Every Christian has a job, a big one. Every Christian has great responsibility. If you feel it is demanding, then rejoice! God has given you responsibilities that may save your spiritual health.