How God uses Seasons of Darkness to Grow Our Faith

Stephanie Nance, D.Min with Sue Reeve

Sensing the Darkness

Have you ever felt like your soul was thrust into a dark, desolate place? You couldn’t pinpoint anything you had done wrong, but God felt distant. Still, with every fiber of your being, you knew God had not abandoned you.

Times like this for a Christ-follower are often called a “dark night of the soul.” The term “dark night” originated from a poem written by St. John of the Cross, a 16th century Spanish Roman Catholic priest, mystic, and Carmelite friar who described “dark night of the soul,” as a period of spiritual and emotional distress experienced by Christians on their journey toward God. John believed it is a natural part of spiritual development during which God works passively within as a way to grow one’s soul.

Dr. Stephanie Nance Explains the “Dark Night:”

In March 2025, I attended the Sherpa Training Intensive in Baltimore, Maryland. My friend and fellow Sherpa Cohort 1 graduate, Dr. Stephanie Nance, one of the Intensive trainers, made an  excellent presentation, “Soul Formation through the Dark Night.” I was both informed and encouraged since I believe I may have been traveling through a “dark night” for the past several months. 

Stephanie gave me permission to share with Sherpa blog readers several highlights from her training:

Dr. Gerald May, Christian psychologist and theologian, defines the “dark night of the soul” as “An ongoing spiritual process in which we are liberated from attachments and compulsions and empowered to live and love more freely.” John Mark Comer explains this is “A season in our apprenticeship to Jesus where he intentionally takes away the sense of his presence in order to do a deep work of purgation and preparation in our soul for a greater freedom, love, and intimacy with God.”  Comer further explains this is a season of unlearning as much as learning. 

Although it may feel and look like it, the “dark night” is not burnout or exhaustion. Neither is it depression, doubt, nor disappointment. It is often described as a passive work—not something you do, but something God does to you. This is God’s work, not yours. Though the tendency may be to fight our way through, it is better if we rest our way through.

As we transition from “God, get me out of this!” to “God, get me through this,” the “dark night” becomes characterized by a surrendered willingness to allow God to work in a “new way.”

Sue’s Prayer for the “Dark Night:”

Following Stephanie’s presentation, I wrote this prayer for my “dark night” season:

Prayer for the Dark Night

God, I am not asking You to hurry up and fix my problem,

But, please, as I learn how to surrender to Your will and timing,

Help me travel through this dark and difficult season.

Teach me how to show up and trust

The unseen work You are accomplishing in my soul.

Amen

Words from an Ancient Mystic: 

St. John of the Cross’ advise for those experiencing a “dark night”  was, “They should allow the soul to remain in rest and quietude even though it may seem obvious to them that they are doing nothing and wasting time….Through patience and perseverance in prayer, they will be doing a great deal without activity on their part….They must be content simply with a loving and peaceful attentiveness to God, and live without the concern, without the effort, and without the desire to taste or feel him. All these desires disquiet the soul and distract it from the peaceful, quiet, and sweet idleness of the contemplation that is being communicated to it.” 

Many Metaphors Describe the “Dark Night:”

There are several biblical metaphors of the “dark night:”

  • Desert  – dry, arid, featureless place with little life: “As the deer pants for the stream of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” Psalm 42:1 (NIV)
  • Fog or Cloud – unclear, unsure of direction:  “His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.” (Nahum 1:3)
  • Pruning – stripped down, cut back, no sense of life or growth: “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes.”  (John 15:2)
  • Waiting – feels like a waste of time, purposeless, no clear timeline. “I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning …” (Psalm 130:6)
  • Hiding – cannot see, feel rejected. “Truly you are a God who has been hiding himself …” (Isaiah 45:15)

Another metaphor is The Wall. The wall is characterized as:

  • Knowing it’s time to face the truth beneath the surface of our lives.
  • Uncovering our deepest secrets, wounds, fears, and insecurities.
  • Feeling like we’re in the muck.

Certain personality types, Stephanie pointed out, will resist the wall, such as those with strong egos, self-deprecators, those who are guilt/shame-ridden, intellectuals, and high achievers. Their temptation will be to try to dismiss or determine their own way of going through.

Going through the wall is not pleasant.  People will experience discomfort as they learn to surrender, heal, gain awareness, forgive and accept. The benefits, however, include increased love, closeness to God, discernment, solitude and reflection. Fruit of the “dark night” include a surrendered life; release from attachments and anxieties; mellowing; deep peace; restful soul; and readiness for the next season with God. 

When we are companioning people who are experiencing a “dark night,” Stephanie reminded us that it may get worse before it gets better. The “dark night” often appears to be more deforming than forming, and it can stir up within us our own issues and questions.

I (Sue) will never invite a “dark night” spiritual experience. They are not pleasant!  But I believe the outcome is rewarding. Awaiting on the other side are deeper understanding of God’s goodness and plans, plus a new level of peace, trust, and interior confidence.  

Dr. Stephanie Nance serves as the Lead Pastor at Chapel Springs Church in Northern Virgina, where she spent nine years as the Spiritual Formation Pastor. Stephanie originates from Oklahoma and has served in ministry in Alaska, Missouri, and Virginia. She holds a Doctor of Ministry degree, with a focus on spiritual formation and leadership, and a Master of Divinity in biblical preaching from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. She teaches spiritual formation courses as an adjunct at AGTS and Ascent College. 

Stephanie is passionate to see men and women working alongside one another as co-laborers in God’s kingdom. Currently, she serves as the Female At-large Executive Presbyter with the Potomac Ministry Network. She has published various articles and contributed  to books on formation, theology, leadership and co-gender ministry.