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 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, 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 realised 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

    realise 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.

    

    Gethsamane 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 g]ory. 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 to 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 realise 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....