Six questions: Fourth Question

I have prayed. I haven’t heard You answer.

There are lessons learned only in the wells of the night. Unexplainable things that must be felt, rather than told; a new understanding and quiet coalescence of thought. These are nights that change you; though whether for better or worse is not always readily apparent.

The ‘dark night’ is a very real place, as anyone who has been there will tell you. Alan Jones calls it ‘the second conversion.’ While the first conversion was characterized by joy and enthusiasm and filled with felt consolation and a profound sense of God’s presence, the second is marked by dryness, barrenness, desolation, and a profound sense of God’s absence. The dark night is an indispensable stage of spiritual growth both for the individual and the Church.

Have you ever prayed that you might be more prayerful? Have you ever prayed for a lively and conscious awareness of God’s indwelling presence throughout the day? Have you ever prayed that you might be gentle and humble in heart? Have you ever asked for a spirit of detachment from material things, personal relationships, and creature comforts? Have you ever cried out for an increase in faith? I know I have, and I suspect that we have all prayed often for these spiritual gifts. But I wonder if we really meant what we said when we asked for these things? Did we really want what we asked for? I think not. Otherwise, why did we recoil in shock and sorrow when our prayers were answered? (Brennan Manning)

            “…the life of pure faith is the dark night.” – Manning

We pray for faith and don’t expect to be given the opportunity to practice that faith. The dark night—or desert—however gives us the opportunity to prepare for the battle ahead.

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.” (Exodus 13:17-18)

The New Living Translation phrases the last part of verse 18 as “Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.” In the English Standard Version, the same passage is “And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.”

“God proportions his people’s trials to their strength, and will not suffer them to be tempted above what they are able, 1 Cor. 10:13… God knows our frame, and considers our weakness and faintheartedness, and by less trials will prepare us for greater. God is said to bring Israel out of Egypt as the eagle brings up her young ones (Deut. 32:11), teaching them by degrees to fly.” (Matthew Henry on Exodus 13)

God calls and he also equips. What seems like a detour, or no motion at all, may really be God equipping us for what’s ahead.

Even after God brought them out of the desert road, the Israelites still panicked at the Red Sea. They were a people group broken down by slavery, unable to see beyond the limits of their experiences. But in taking them down the desert road, God brought them to a place where his power and justice could be seen in vivid relief against the backdrop of their circumstances.