THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL
- author unknown
{Vital insights into God's preparations for Revival - ed.}
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will l hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land".
- 2 Chronicles 7:14.
________________________
Another key similarity between revival and nuclear
fission is a strange phenomenon that occurs right
before the atom splits. The nucleus actually depresses.
Scientists observe that the neutron bombardment
which seemed to be changing the nucleus, now shows
no sign of reaching critical mass. Nothing seems to be
happening.
That is also what happens right before a manifestation
of God's glory. The revival core will be praying and
sensing a rising tide of power and expectancy. All of a sudden, you hit a brick wall. The power is gone. God's
presence seems to have lifted. Your prayers feel trapped in your mouth. A deep despair settles in. You feel physically drained.
This is the dark night of the soul. This is where every revival pioneer has been before you and now it's
your turn. It will take everything in you to keep
moving. The sobering fact is that many who have
reached the dark night of the soul have retreated.
Eternity will reveal a long, sad history of revival
near-misses.
Let me state emphatically that 90% of revival is
getting to the point where an unshakeable resolve (firm determination to do something) is born.
Everything you have done before you reach this
dark night will seem unimportant. It is what you do
now that makes or breaks your heart's desire.
At no other time does God express love more than
when He allows this time of total emptiness. God risks
being misunderstood. He faces the potential of one of
His children walking away frustrated and confused, but
He believes the good it will produce is well worth the
risk.
What do you do when this cloud of darkness settles
on you?
Scientists respond to a depressed nucleus by intensifying the neutron beam (fire), and resolve to do so until fission occurs. They commit to keep moving, not relying on any physical signs. That is precisely what we must do to see the end of this night.
Why does God allow this dark night? I strongly believe
that our Father realized that those through whom He works to bring revival receive great praise from the church and awesome attacks from Satan. A person lacking humility won't survive the praise of men. A person without perseverance won't overcome Satan. The revival core must realize this and stand the test. Just as a scientist turns up the force of the neutron beam even though he sees no result, so true revivalists will turn up their prayer during the dark night of the soul. If the children of God demonstrate that they
won't go by what they see or feel, God will know that
He has vessels that will not rely on circumstances or
feelings to keep them on a straight course.
If the prayer of the revival core continues during this
dark night, their true motive surfaces. The only thing
that will hold us when the nucleus depresses is a pure
heart of love for the lost and a true desire to see God
glorified. God wisely observes that anyone who survives this night is rightfully suited to invade enemy
territory.
Again we see this fifth stage in our key verse,
2 Chronicles 7:14, "...will humble themselves and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways...'
It would seem that by this stage, God would know we
have abandoned our sin. The issue, however, is something deeper; it deals with our ways.
Our repentance has dealt with what we have done; now the purification focuses on what we are.
The psalmist distinguished two aspects of God: His acts and His ways. "He made known his ways to Moses, his
deeds to the people of Israel" (Psalm 103:7).
The children of Israel only knew God from miracle to
miracle, but Moses knew the deep intentions and the
long-range plan of God. Moses understood the essence, heartbeat and direction of God. To turn from our wicked ways doesn't just mean to repent of our sins. Hitherto, we have repented of our acts, now we need deliverance from our ways.
Gethsemane was the dark night of the soul for Jesus
Christ; it was the test of His ways. You wonder if
Jesus had to repent. The answer is no, but He had to
be examined in His Father's court of justice.
The dark night of the soul is a very baffling test, for it comes at a least expected time and with special
conditions. The inner nature must be surprised, caught
off guard, in order to be exposed and conquered.
In the many records of revival, there is an almost
uniform description of this crucible... on the mountain
top one moment, feeling run over by a train the next.
Joseph, barely recovered from a glorious dream, is
thrown into a pit by his brothers. David, still hearing
the chant of the throng saying, 'Saul has slain his
thousands and David his ten thousands,' wakes up in a
cave being hunted like an animal.
Even Jesus, with the hosannas still ringing in His
ears from the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, now
prays alone, cold, tormented, sweating blood, and
surrounded by sleeping disciples.
The battlements of heaven are waiting for that
unmistakable ring of genuine obedience where the dragon of human nature has been met and beheaded.
"Not my will but thy will be done!"
Before the crown comes the bitter cup. It must be
swallowed to the bitter dregs.
So then, what is the Lord really looking for? A servant who knows that the cup cannot pass. Take heart if you wish that it would pass. Even Jesus asked
if it was necessary to drink. But He did not ask to
escape because of fear of pain or selfishness. He asked
because, for the first time in eternity, He would be
separated from His Father. He knew that the plan to
save man would have to break His Father's heart. Only
Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah could begin to
understand the grief.
Herein lies the truth that releases the glory. In repenting of sin, we rid ourselves of evil but in the
dark night of the soul, we surrender the things we
dearly love, things we can't readily identify as being in
conflict with God.
Here the issue is not right and wrong, but high and
low purposes of living. Spiritual awakening is not simply getting rid of sin, it is giving God what He wants.
Again and again I have tried to stress that we must conclude with iron resolve that there is no substitute for revival. It is the higher ground we must reach because the flood is rising. No point of return can exist, no alternative can be considered.
For fire to fall and consume the sacrifice, it must be
innocent and without blemish, but, most of all, it must
be on the altar to stay.
Under every other circumstance our nature can hide,
but in this dark night it screams for its way, and its
many tentacles are exposed.
The protest was immediate. "Why this waste?"
screamed the apostles, led by Judas Iscariot. Their
outrage was almost convincing. The ointment was
worth a year's salary (maybe $12,000 today). It could
have been used to have fed the poor, they argued
(actually, Judas wanted to steal it). This is the entire issue with revival. They wanted to do something for God. Mary knew it was time to do
something for God.
The time has come to pour out our best on God. Jesus
said, "The poor you have with you always." Good deeds
are always available.
America is spiritually dying because God has sales reps and not channels of His glory. We feverishly do the right things, almost as a bribe to postpone the needed pouring out of ourselves as a living sacrifice.
Again we must no longer see the bad things as barriers
to revival, but the seemingly good. We can't dole out precious ointment to the poor in doses that don't cure them or honor God. We must be poured out on God!
Spiritual awakening means that the faithful become
fiery, the decent become dynamic, and the acceptable
become excellent. But, most of all, we become
disgusted with our evil, and totally dissatisfied with our
good.
We realize that now is the time to pull out all the
stops. No program is sacred, no worthy project is
worth enough. None of the ointment can be spared. It
is revival or death!
As I said before, the nucleus of the atom depresses
right before fission and in that lies another key parallel
to revival... the nucleus explodes from that depressed
condition. It does not split when it looks inflated and
energetic but rather when it is shrunken and lifeless.
Revival comes out of nowhere by sovereign timing.
The prayer core is ready to fall from exhaustion but
hangs on by its confidence in the faithfulness of God.
Jehovah detects that special quality that can be
rewarded with revival.
An eviction notice falls with a loud crash on the porch of the local satanic supervisor. Angels receive their
invasion orders. The prayer core looks up and sees the glory coming. The roar of God is about to be heard in the land once more....
