The “dark night of the soul”

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.” - Psalm 22:1-2

Have you ever experienced a “dark night of the soul?” This term, coined by St. John of the Cross, refers to a time of spiritual doubt and feeling distant from God.

These seasons can be disruptive, disorienting, and quite scary—especially if you come from a tradition based on certainty and “having all the answers.”

Like the psalmist (whose words were echoed by Jesus on the cross), you might even feel like God has forsaken you.

But a dark night of the soul doesn’t mean your faith is falling apart. In fact, your dark night may be the birth of a newer, deeper, more real faith. ​It may be where you need and receive the love and grace of Jesus most meaningfully. 

It can invite us into a process of stripping away our attachments and our false selves to make room for a deeper union with God.

We must remember to run to God, not from God. Though it may seem that God is distant, we can trust that He hasn’t forsaken us and that He is big enough for all our doubts and questions. 

As we invite Jesus in and turn over all of our doubts and fears and hurts and pain and questions to Him, He can become our pasture of peace, and new levels of healing and growth become available.

Have you ever experienced a dark night of the soul? What did it teach you about God and yourself?