Serving doubt and darkness

Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face. Job 13:15

Dark nights of the soul, when you question what you believe to be true, are nothing new to those who walk the pilgrim pathway. Some of God’s choicest servants have fought doubt and spiritual darkness. th Charles Spurgeon, the renowned preacher and expositor of the 19

century, wrestled with bouts of depression so severe that at times he could not force himself to get out of bed. Yet he wrote, “There is more in God to cheer you than in your circumstances to depress you.” He saw beyond the dark nights of his soul to Him who said, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Oswald Chambers, a man whom I look up to as a spiritual giant, also struggled with periods of feeling estranged from God. Yet he refused to yield to doubt, trusting God to take him through the valleys of life.

There are many things that will never be understood this side of heaven, and unless you can lift your eyes by faith to the promises of God’s Word, you too will vacillate and face dark times of doubt. The one lacking confidence in God’s Word is like a sailor without a sextant or a navigator without a compass or GPS unit.

Confidence in God’s Word is the only bulwark against the doubt that chills your soul. As Lidie Edmunds wrote, “My heart is leaning on the Word, the writ- ten Word of God, Salvation by my Savior’s name, Salvation through His blood. I need no other argument, I need no other plea; It is enough that Jesus died, And that he died for me.”

Resting on the Word of God and walking by faith is the only way out of the doubt of despair.

Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to [email protected]. You may also visit www. guidelines.org.