Jesus hung on the cross, naked and disfigured from beatings, bleeding and suffocating to death. He cried out Psalm 22:1 for all to hear, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

It was the darkest night ever (Matthew 27:45). Jesus felt abandoned by his Father. Many theologians say that because he took our sin on himself he was abandoned by God. In either case, he was enduring a Dark Night of the Soul. He felt God’s absence. He felt forsaken.

I’ve felt abandoned by God. Probably you have too. I talk with pastors, ministry leaders, and all kinds of Christ-followers who feel that God has left their side. It hurts! It’s disorienting!

The worst part of a time of spiritual darkness and dryness is when you feel like it’s your fault.

Discovering the Inner Light

In a Dark Night of the Soul you are not being punished for your sins. Nor has God actually abandoned you.

Of course, when we do sin we’re rejecting God and when this is our lifestyle then we will experience separation from God. God continually extends his grace to all of us sinners, but if we continually reject him, if our hearts our hard and dead to his kindness, then eventually he will discipline us in love to wake us up to our opportunity to be reconciled to him through Christ. There are negative consequences to sin.

But this is not what is going on in a Dark Night of the Soul.

In a Dark Night God has in love withheld certain blessings and withdrawn your felt sense of his presence. In love? What’s loving about feeling distant from God? God is teaching you to trust that he is good to you even when you can’t see or feel his goodness. Your love for God (and ultimately for other people too) is being tested — just as it was for Jesus on the cross.

If in the midst or your trial you continue to trust in God through Christ, stay out of shame, listen, and look for God deep in your heart (which biblically speaking is your will, not your emotions) then eventually you can tap into the reality that the Holy Spirit is within you interceding earnestly for you, “Abba Father! Jesus is Lord!” (Galatians 4:6, 1 Corinthians 12:3).

Psalm 23 and the Cross

The way that Jesus tapped into this spiritual reality as he was suffering on the cross was by praying Scripture, probably including Psalm 23. I bet you’ve never thought of this: the Lamb of God on the cross finding comfort in the Father as his Good Shepherd!

That’s a nice thought, but what gives you that idea Bill?

By quoting the first verse of Psalm 22 Jesus was using a common Jewish rabbinical teaching method of the day called a “remez.” He was invoking the whole passage that followed which for the jews included not only all of Psalm 22, but also Psalms 23 and 24, which were always connected.

The Jews memorized whole Psalms and other long passages of Scripture. So when Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” observant Jews could finish the rest of Psalm 22, 23, and 24,ⁱ including these words:

For [the Lord] has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help…

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want… Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me (Psalm 22:24, 23:1, 4).

“Abba!”

Think of Jesus on the cross meditating on these Scriptures. Think of him crying out to God just like he did a few hours earlier in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Abba! Abba! Abba!” (Mark 14:36). In other words, as the cross is holding him up to be crucified Jesus is praying, “Papa! Hold me!”

Jesus went to the cross and endured the Dark Night of the Soul so that in our dark nights we would know that we are not in fact alone: Jesus is embracing us in Abba’s love.

The Lamb of God found comfort in Abba as his Good Shepherd.

The Lamb of God is our Good Shepherd.

More Soul Shepherding

“Jesus and Abba at the Cross” includes more discussion of Jesus’ use of Psalm 22 on the cross and a heart warming icon of Abba embracing Jesus on the cross.

We have other articles on the Dark Night of the Soul including, “In the Dark Night Remember God.”

Try My New Devotional on the Cross

God has brought me deep healing and great encouragement through the Stations of the Cross. For nine years I’ve been sharing these with other people who also have had powerful encounters with Christ. I have put my meditations and prayers from the Biblical scenes of Christ’s passion into a 32-page e-book that I can send you. Read more…

Spiritual direction is a Soul Shepherding ministry that helps leaders and others who are going through a Dark Night of the Soul to find God.

What do you do when you’ve been mistreated and God doesn’t seem to answer your prayers? How do you pray when God seems distant and unconcerned about your pain? We all go through these trials. They don’t mean that God is angry with us or that we’re not good Christians. It may be a dark night of the soul.

In dark night trials we tend to feel alone, but we’re not! The Psalmist understands and in Psalm 44 he shows us how to pray in the dark. Many of our Bible heroes went through these times, most notably Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when he sweat drops of blood and on the cross when he cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1).

“Deep Darkness” is a prayer I wrote inspired by Psalm 44. It’s a prayer for prevailing with God when you’re in a Dark Night of the Soul or other trial.

What if you’re not going through a Dark Night of the Soul? It’d be wise to “watch and pray” with Jesus now and to learn to pray this way before you’re in a dark night. This way you can cultivate the mature trust and confidence in God that will enable you to persevere through upcoming trials with a loyal and patient love for God. And you can pray for someone else who is going through a dark night now.

Deep Darkness 

Awake, O Lord!  Rouse yourself!

Do for us what you did for our fathers –

You made them to flourish;

Redeem us because of your unfailing love.

 ~

My Lord has let me be mistreated:

I have been humbled by adversaries,

I have been reproached by neighbors,

People shake their heads at me.

 ~

Yet, you bring me victory, O Lord –

                By your right hand,

                By your strong arm,

                By the light of your face –

For you love me.

 ~

We rely on you, our King and our God;

We do not trust merely in our own strength.

In your kingdom, O Lord, we boast all day long;

We praise your name forever – Selah.

 ~

My Lord’s face is hidden from me:

I am as a sheep to be slaughtered,

I am left clinging to the dust,

Deep darkness has covered me.

 ~

Yet, I remember your name, O Lord –

                With my heart’s cry,

                With my hands outstretched,

                With the steps of my feet –

For you know all things.

 ~

We rely on you, our King and our God;

We do not trust merely in our own strength.

In your kingdom, O Lord, we boast all day long;

We praise your name forever: Jesus Christ!

(Inspired by Psalm 44)

In the Dark Night Remember God is another Psalms prayer to help you when you’re going through a Dark Night of the Soul.

In our Soul Shepherding ministry one of our specialties is helping people who are going through a dark night of the soul.

William Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

From time to time we all go through trials in which we lose heart and feel overwhelmed with discouragement, worry, or exhaustion. The painful times are “Dark Nights of the Soul” when our prayers seem to go unanswered and God’s comfort cannot be found.

All Christ-followers go through Dark Nights when God seems distant and prayer and other spiritual activities do not yield the experience of God’s blessings as they have in times past. But few people today have been trained in how to deal with these spiritual trials.

Inspired by Psalm 77, I wrote a prayer for the Dark Night of the Soul that I want to share with you.

Watch and Pray

The best time to offer this prayer and to meditate on God’s wisdom from the Psalmist is before you get to your next Dark Night experience. Prepare your heart now. “Watch and pray” with Jesus (Matthew 26:41). Get a hold of your self and pray to become the kind of person who when God seems distant, unkind, unfair, or just unhelpful you will still demonstrate your love and adoration for him simply because he is good.

Will you worship God when no blessings are coming your way? Will you trust that the Lord is with you and delight in him even when you are in the valley of the shadow of death and you do not feel his presence or help? The Psalmist shows us the way…

In the Night I Remember You

Help me!  O God.  Hear my prayer.

At night I keep stretching out my hands to you –

But my soul finds no comfort.

~

I remember you and I groan with longing for you… Selah.

~

I have lost heart.

I cannot sleep.

I am too upset to speak.

~

I remember my night songs and I sing to you… Selah.

~

Will you never show me your favor again?

Has your promise failed me forever?

Have you forgotten to be merciful?

~

I remember your deeds of love and I meditate on you… Selah.

~

Your ways, O God, are holy.

You are great and glorious.

With your mighty arm you have saved us.

~

I remember your miracles and I give thanks to you… Selah.

~

You path, O Lord, leads through the sea;

We follow your unseen footprints;

We walk by faith, not by sight.

~

I remember you, Lord Jesus Christ… Selah.

I remember your cross of love… Selah.

I remember your resurrection… Selah.

I remember you sent your Holy Spirit… Selah.

More Soul Shepherding

The Other Side of Deep Darkness is another Psalm prayer for a Dark Night of the Soul.

The Lamb Became the Shepherd: On the Cross Jesus got through the darkest night by praying Psalm 23 — he is with you in your Dark Night of the Soul.

In Spiritual Direction ministry Kristi and I talk with ministry leaders and others going through a Dark Night of the Soul. We listen. And we help them to pray “Dark Night” prayers. This is one of the ways in our Soul Shepherding ministry that we help pastors, pastors’ wives, missionaries, and other Christian leaders not to burn out or blow out.

Soul Shepherding is a 501c3 nonprofit ministry funded by tax-deductible donations from individuals, fees for services to individuals, and honorariums from churches and other organizations.

William Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

Have you ever prayed in a cave? That’s what I was doing in this picture. I went to pray in a special cave with a pastor for a day retreat at All Nations Prayer Mountain in San Bernardino, CA.

I’ve noticed that some of David’s best prayers were in a cave, like Psalms 57 and 142 (and probably others like Psalms 27 and 61).

So I figured that to be “a man of prayer” (Psalm 109:4) like David it might help if I spent some time being “a caveman” like him!

My Experience Praying in a Cave

Indeed, meditating in silence on Psalm 57 while in a cave for a couple of hours of silence and solitude helped me to connect more deeply with what David meant when time and again in the Psalms he referred to God as his refuge. I realized that interacting with God in prayer is like being in a spiritual cave.

I can hide myself in God, not only when I’m in trouble and need a hiding place, but in all the situations of my life; I can find refuge in God through secret prayer anytime, snuggling under His wings and walking in His shadow.

Psalm 57

In Psalm 57 David models for us that in dark times of pain, struggle, or unknowing we can abide in God as our refuge. This is also true if we’re going through a Dark Night of the Soul when God’s face is hidden from us and we’re not experiencing his blessings in our circumstances.

When we wait on God in prayer his dawn will eventually awaken from deep within us. This can be true in the midst of any difficult situation we may find ourselves in because ultimately the “cave” that we pray in is not a church or a special spot we go to, but in our own souls.

My Prayer Poem based on Psalm 57 will help you to wait on the Lord and draw close to him:

The Cave
Hidden
In a cave
Surrounded by lions
Under His wings

Alone
In the dark
Assaulted by accusations
Following His shadow

Quiet
In my soul
Troubled by hardships
Joining His prayers

Alert
In the night
Besieged by lies
Awakening His dawn

As you pray today, both in your devotions and as you go about your day, imagine yourself hidden in a secret cave with God as your refuge.

More Soul Shepherding

Learn more about Praying the Psalms or the Dark Night of the Soul.

The Sons of Korah may have written Psalm 42 by these waterfalls that flow into Israel’s Jordan River. I can imagine this because I have experienced many fruitful times of prayer by waterfalls, streams, lakes, or an ocean.

Two years ago I had one of those special times with God by the ocean. I was in Maui  at Puamana Beach watching my son and daughter surf.  As I did I listened to the ocean waves and meditated on Psalm 42 which I had memorized previously.

I was at peace in God’s presence looking into the ocean. The waves and words flowed together into my soul. I waited… I breathed them in… I breathed them out…

The Waters of Life

I realized that God, like the echoing sounds of the waves and the unfolding insights of Psalm 42, flows over me… into me… and through me… Love always begins with God above me, then it enters me, and finally it can overflow from me to others. Indeed, Jesus said that his Spirit is like living waters that can enter into us, fill us, and flow out from us to others who are thirsty (John 7:37-39).

Psalm 42 affirms that God “directs” his love to us in the day and that he stays “with” us in the night. God is good, not only in times of blessing, but also in times of difficulty when we may not feel his comfort.

Throughout the week I kept returning to this experience.  A prayer poem that paraphrases Psalm 42 flowed out from me. I pray that it blesses you too!

Waves of Love

Panting for God as a deer for water

Longing after longing waits

Over me… In me… Through me…

~

Men’s criticisms thrash my faith

Tear after tear rains

Over me… In me… Through me…

~

Recalling sacred times with friends

Memory after memory graces

Over me… In me… Through me…

~

Relying on God’s unseen presence

Hope after hope rises

Over me… In me… Through me…

~

The Deep calls to my deep

Wave after wave washes

Over me… In me… Through me…

~

Day and night heaven’s music plays

Song after song delights

Over me… In me… Through me…

~

Riding his waves of love

Prayer after prayer lives

Over me… In me… Through me…

More Soul Shepherding

Have you ever prayed a Psalm in a nature setting similar to the one in the Psalm? It’s a powerful experience! I love to do this and often include this exercise in the retreats I lead. Read Praying a Psalm in its Nature Setting for some of my favorites.

On SoulShepherding.or we have lots more of the prayer poems from My Psalms Prayer Book.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org