Hope for the Dark Night of the Soul
Robert Dawson
Psalm 42-43
The great missionary Amy Carmichael said, ''Everywhere the perpetual endeavor of the enemy of souls is discouragement. If he can get the soul 'under the weather,' he wins.'' Perhaps, there is nothing that Satan uses more to defeat a Christian than discouragement. Who among us has not been discouraged?
William Carey, the father of the modern mission movement was faithful to call of God. He perservered in spite of all the hardships he encountered. He never let anything stop him. As one writer said, ''He was no more deterred by tragedies than a locomotive by butterflies.'' Nonetheless, there were times when he suffered what one biographer called ''sheer black depression.''
Charles Spurgeon, often referred to as the Prince of Preachers, was so plagued by discouragement and depression that it is said he tendered his resignation thirty-two times in thirty-nine years.
A.W.Tozer, whose books still provide inspiration and benefit to the body of Christ, was not beyond discouragement. Erwin Lutzer, who knew him personally said, ''This man, who knew God so intimately, had days when he was so discouraged he felt he could not continue as a minister. A man who instructed thousands in the deep things of God often felt he was a miserable failure.''
Yes, we all have been discouraged. It may be there is a discouraged soul in this place today.
I want to draw your attention to Psalm 42 where we see the Psalmist deeply discouraged. As we look at the Psalm and the Psalmist, I believe there are truths that we can discover here that will help us in our times of discouragement.
SCRIPTURE - PSALM 42 - 43
As we read this psalm the psalmist's struggle leaps off the page. We are quickly made aware that the writer of this psalm is struggling through what some old theologians called ''the dark night of the soul.''
His external circumstances are oppressive and his internal emotions are depressed.
We ...
Robert Dawson
Psalm 42-43
The great missionary Amy Carmichael said, ''Everywhere the perpetual endeavor of the enemy of souls is discouragement. If he can get the soul 'under the weather,' he wins.'' Perhaps, there is nothing that Satan uses more to defeat a Christian than discouragement. Who among us has not been discouraged?
William Carey, the father of the modern mission movement was faithful to call of God. He perservered in spite of all the hardships he encountered. He never let anything stop him. As one writer said, ''He was no more deterred by tragedies than a locomotive by butterflies.'' Nonetheless, there were times when he suffered what one biographer called ''sheer black depression.''
Charles Spurgeon, often referred to as the Prince of Preachers, was so plagued by discouragement and depression that it is said he tendered his resignation thirty-two times in thirty-nine years.
A.W.Tozer, whose books still provide inspiration and benefit to the body of Christ, was not beyond discouragement. Erwin Lutzer, who knew him personally said, ''This man, who knew God so intimately, had days when he was so discouraged he felt he could not continue as a minister. A man who instructed thousands in the deep things of God often felt he was a miserable failure.''
Yes, we all have been discouraged. It may be there is a discouraged soul in this place today.
I want to draw your attention to Psalm 42 where we see the Psalmist deeply discouraged. As we look at the Psalm and the Psalmist, I believe there are truths that we can discover here that will help us in our times of discouragement.
SCRIPTURE - PSALM 42 - 43
As we read this psalm the psalmist's struggle leaps off the page. We are quickly made aware that the writer of this psalm is struggling through what some old theologians called ''the dark night of the soul.''
His external circumstances are oppressive and his internal emotions are depressed.
We ...
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