Inspiration

Surrounded Soul

By Connie Arnold

Have you ever experienced a spiritual numbness? A day, maybe longer, of clouds so thick that you think you may be the last person on this earth. At least the last one in your neighborhood. No spark can get through. Chores stack up because you can no longer make yourself ‘act’. Favorite activities lose their luster: laughter is only a distant echo?

Sounds depressing, but we aren’t immune to spiritual warfare. And it may be that it is a spiritual depression brought on by an attack from Satan. While in the middle of it, we may not attribute it to the enemy, but this can be found in his arsenal of weapons. We may need reminding to hunt for a hiding place.

David experienced ‘dark nights of the soul’, and he wrote, “I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me,” (Psalm 30:1-2 ESV). He continues on to proclaim, “Weeping may tarry for the night, joy comes with the morning”, (Psalm 30:5 ESV).

We may not hear the hoofbeats of our enemy coming after us as the armies of David often did, but we need to be uplifted from our darkness and reminded of the joy God is scheduling for us in the morning.

“He hideth my soul in the cleft of the Rock and covers me there with his hand.” What does this line from an old song tell us? It is a temporary hiding place, not a place to pitch our forever tent. We climb down from the shelter in one piece. Our physical may be tired, but our soul emerges, intact, to bathe in His transforming light.

I am lifting a prayer from a TODAY with Allen Jackson DAILY DEVOTIONAL: “Heavenly Father, seasons of the year add texture to my life, as do seasons of the heart. I learn from these and mature in ways that prepare me to encourage others. May I always maintain Your perspective and learn from each experience in Jesus’ name, amen.”