Help arrives

Here is an article that a friend sent me and I thought others might appreciate it too. She also reminded me of a couple quotes from Saints in the past that are helpful.

Saint Augustine said in 4th century,"God you created us, we can not rest unless we rest in you."

Missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, in 19 century said once in his book, journey of faith, "True faith is to be at rest, just branch rest in the Vine."

Right Now Counts Forever
The Dark Night of the Soul
by R.C. Sproul

The dark night of the soul. This phenomenon describes a malady that the greatest of Christians have suffered from time to time. It was the malady that provoked David to soak his pillow with tears. It was the malady that earned for Jeremiah the sobriquet, "The Weeping Prophet." It was the malady that so afflicted Martin Luther that his melancholy threatened to destroy him. This is no ordinary fit of depression, but it is a depression that is linked to a crisis of faith, a crisis that comes when one senses the absence of God or gives rise to a feeling of abandonment by Him.

Spiritual depression is real and can be acute. We ask how a person of faith could experience such spiritual lows, but whatever provokes it does not take away from its reality. Our faith is not a constant action. It is mobile. It vacillates. We move from faith to faith, and in between we may have periods of doubt when we cry, "Lord, I believe, help Thou my unbelief."

We may also think that th e dark night of the soul is something completely incompatible with the fruit of the Spirit, not only that of faith but also that of joy. Once the Holy Spirit has flooded our hearts with a joy unspeakable, how can there be room in that chamber for such darkness? It is important for us to make a distinction between the spiritual fruit of joy and the cultural concept of happiness. A Christian can have joy in his heart while there is still spiritual depression in his head. The joy that we have sustains us through these dark nights and is not quenched by spiritual depression. The joy of the Christian is one that survives all downturns in life.

In writing to the Corinthians in his second letter, Paul commends to his readers the importance of preaching and of communicating the Gospel to people. But in the midst of that, he reminds the church that the treasure we have from God is a treasure that is contained not in vessels of gold and silver but in what the apostle calls "jar s of clay." For this reason he says, "that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." Immediately after this reminder, the apostle adds, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies" (2 Cor. 4:7–10).

This passage indicates the limits of depression that we experience. The depression may be profound, but it is not permanent, nor is it fatal. Notice that the apostle Paul describes our condition in a variety of ways. He says that we are "afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down." These are powerful images that describe the conflict that Christians must endure, but in every place that he describes this phenomenon, he describes at the same time its limits. Afflicted, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. S t r uck down, but not destroyed.

So we have this pressure to bear, but the pressure, though it is severe, does not crush us. We may be confused and perplexed, but that low point to which perplexity brings us does not result in complete and total despair. Even in persecution, as serious as it may be, we are still not forsaken, and we may be overwhelmed and struck down as Jeremiah spoke of, yet we have room for joy. We think of the prophet Habakkuk, who in his misery remained confident that despite the setbacks he endured, God would give him feet like hind's feet, feet that would enable him to walk in high places.

Elsewhere, the apostle Paul in writing to the Philippians gives them the admonition to be "anxious for nothing," telling them that the cure for anxiety is found on one's knees, that it is the peace of God that calms our spirit and dissipates anxiety. Again, we can be anxious and nervous and worried without finally submitting to ultimate despair. This co e xi st ence of faith and spiritual depression is paralleled in other biblical statements of emotive conditions. We are told that it is perfectly legitimate for believers to suffer grief. Our Lord Himself was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Though grief may reach to the roots of our souls, it must not result in bitterness. Grief is a legitimate emotion, at times even a virtue, but there must be no place in the soul for bitterness. In like manner, we see that it is a good thing to go to the house of mourning, but even in mourning, that low feeling must not give way to hatred. The presence of faith gives no guarantee of the absence of spiritual depression; however, the dark night of the soul always gives way to the brightness of the noonday light of the presence of God.
Dr. R.C. Sproul is senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida, and he is author of the book Truths We Confess.
For more than thirty years, Dr. R.C. Sproul has thoroughly and concisely analyzed weighty theological, philosophical, and biblical topics in Right Now Counts Forever, drawing out practical applications for the Christian in his own engaging style.
© Tabletalk magazine

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Thanks Be To God

I have a confession to make, this last week has been in a word difficult, to add three more words, sometimes painfully unbearable. This seems to be what happens when we are forced to face our weakness. And as many of you know I hurt myself recently, and my foot looks more like an oversized sausage than my foot these days. Yet, it has become a symbol of my need to wait on God, even in the midst of the pain and process it takes to heal. In that I think of this place the Rez, and I think of my own life and the ugliness I must face their too. As I've been injured some of my deeper struggles have surfaced, thankfully God has really been gracious enough to love and care for me in the midst of my own prideful stupidity. I feel like a child coming to her father bashfully asking Him to help me out of this tough spot I got myself into. Its been hard to sit around without entertainment and admittedly I've broken the rules of our fast more than once. But, when you can't walk you crawl and whey you can't crawl, you ask someone to carry you. I can say with certainty that the Lord is carrying me along with friends (Christine, Emily, etc.) or at least carrying my clothes and food to various places around the house ;) I really have appreciated Emily's last entry and the words of that song. I am ever reminded that we are not simply made to be people unto ourselves, we were created to abide in God's perfect way to exist with Him and in Him. It is a sad dark place without that light shining in us. "But, this poor woman called to the Lord and he heard her cry. He saved her out of all her troubles"

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope. Because of the Lords great love we are not consumed. For his mercies never fail, they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Dancing upon injustice

Wednesday nights held a ritual for me, before Lent began: after youth group, I would drive home and watch the latest episode of "Project Runway." I enjoyed the weekly diversion of watching new revelations of Christian's egoism, Jilian's stress, and Ricky's emotional instability. Lent has been a good exercise in restraining the desire of my flesh to check out after youth group. And God has been faithful when I turn my mind and heart to Him. Last week, when I came home from YAF, I played guitar for a while before turning on my ipod. One song on my ipod resonated deeply in my heart.

And we can see that God you're moving
A mighty river through the nations
And young and old will turn to Jesus
Fling wide your heavenly gates
Prepare the way of the risen Lord

Open up the doors and let the music play
Let the streets resound with singing
Songs that bring your hope
Songs that bring your joy
Dancers who dance upon injustice

Did you feel the darkness tremble?
When all the saints join in one song
And all the streams flow as one river
To wash away our brokeness

And here we see that God you're moving
A time of Jubilee is coming
When young and old return to Jesus
Fling wide your heavenly gates
Prepare the way of the risen Lord

Yes! Oh, yes! It is beautiful to sing and dance the truth that God is moving: He is bringing a mighty river to wash away our brokenness and restore our relationship to Him. The streets of Wapato, White Swan, and Toppenish can resound with songs of Hope. Dancers--like Samantha, Elissa, Randy, Shayla, Molly--can dance upon injustice. Joy can be their song. Lord, fling wide the heavenly gates/Rend the heavens and come down. May the young and old return to You, tasting and seeing Your goodness. May they know Jesus as the Risen Lord, that He is mighty to save; He restores, redeems, brings life. We want to believe/We believe/We want to believe. Your kingdom come.