For Your Dark Nights!
"You have tested my heart; You have visited me in
the night; You have tried me and have found nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress."
Psalm 17: 3
La noche oscura del alma, The Dark Night of the Soul.
That’s the name of the poem written by St. John of the
Cross, a sixteenth century Spanish poet.
Written while St. John was in prison trying to reform
his monastic order, “the dark night” represents all of the
difficulties and trials experienced on the road to heaven.
“Dark night” also pictures the isolation we feel during times of
spiritual tests. We sometimes lie in bed at night, surrounded
by darkness, longing for sleep, consumed with our thoughts
and questions.
The psalmists, especially David, were candidly honest about their
literal and spiritual dark nights. David made use of those sleepless
nights, crying out to God for relief and answers (Psalm 22:2; 42:8).
He relied on the natural order of things to remind him that “weeping
may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
If you are in the midst of your own dark night, use the time
wisely. If there are tears, let them water the words you pour
out to God, remembering that joy comes in the morning.
"Faith is a plant that can grow in the shade,
a grace that can find the way to heaven in
a dark night."
William Gurnall
