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.

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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....