The Dark Night of the Soul
If I remember correctly the following story is about
William Cowper, poet and hymn writer, who lived from
1731-1800 in England.
Cowper suffered fits of meloncholy and frequent attacks of
spiritual despair which led to two suicide attempts. On one
of these occasions during a time of deep despair and a dark
night of the soul, on a foggy night he set out from his home
in London with the intention of jumping into the Thames
River to end his life.
He got hopelessly lost in the fog and wandered blind for
some time. Eventually, lost and confused, he walked into a
home to get out of the fog. And the home he walked into? It
was his own.
He sat down and penned the words of the beloved hymn:
"God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He
plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm."
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much
dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on
your head."
Dear reader, if you are going through a dark night of the
soul right now and it feels that God is far away, be assured
he is standing in the shadows and as he knows about every
sparrow he knows all about you and he cares. When we commit
and trust our life to God every day, "Weeping may endure for
the night, but joy will come in the morning."
by Dick Innes, Daily Encounter www.actsweb.org/detoday. Used by permission.