This last week, one of my good friends and a Journey brother, took his own life.  It was a tragedy to see how Tom was confronted with the darkness of life and lost hope.  He had many demons from his past which he tried to kill with alcohol, to no avail.  He knew Jesus, and he was passionate about leading others to know Him, but when the darkness came, he started listening to the Accuser's voice instead of the loving Shepherd.  As I thought about Tom's struggle with darkness, I remembered an Oswald Chambers' reference to The Dark Night of the Soul.

I believe we all have moments where we feel the darkness of life.  We feel alone, disappointed, dejected, depressed, disgusted, dry.  As Christians, I believe we can mistake these seasons for God's rejection or abandonment of us.  This can drive us further into despair and this is where the Enemy can take us toward destruction.  The darkness can come upon us by the circumstances of life or it can just come without any explanation or understanding.  Perhaps you are in such a season right now.  If so, I want you to know there is nothing to fear.  One of my favorite pastors told me there are 366 Scriptures that say, "Do Not Fear"- one for every day of the year.  Remember, "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but power, love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

I did some research into "The Dark Night of the Soul."  The main reference is tied to a poem by 16th-century Spanish poet and Roman Catholic mystic, Saint John of the Cross. The author himself did not title the poem, on which he wrote two book-length commentaries: The Ascent of Mount Carmel, and The Dark Night.  Saint John of the Cross describes the "dark night (of the soul) as: