Psalm 30: 1-5 
 I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God,
I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
Sing praises to the LORD,
O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

I have always been intrigued with the phrase, dark night of the soul, it’s a concept that’s been around since the early church. It implies that our whole lives, the physical, emotional and spiritual are a journey rather than stuck in time. That rather than arriving at some set point of physical, emotional or spiritual perfection we are travelers journeying together through a life time that holds dark valleys and high peaks and for many of us a whole lot of flat lands as well.

The dark night of the soul can be an experience of crisis of health or family, it might be a time of spiritual darkness, even brokenness, a time fraught by fear, sadness, even death. Our spiritual mothers and fathers speak of the dark night of the soul as unavoidable–a part of the journey. Movement forward, movement towards God and one another requires that we examine our most difficult questions, our most painful stories and the ways in which we shield ourselves from living fully in the attempt to protect ourselves from feeling pain or suffering.

These journeys require faithful companions, other travelers and they require songs for the road like today’s Psalm. We sing this Psalm to God as we move forward seeking the way home to God. We sing it to remind ourselves and one another that weeping may linger but joy comes with the morning. The sun will rise on even the darkest of nights.

Have there been times in your own life that the bright sun of the morning has broken through the darkest of nights? Did you feel a sense of relief? Joy? Freedom?

May your heart sing with joy in the morning,
May you know the comfort of God’s companionship on your journey,
Don’t wait for the sun or quiet morning to begin your journey towards God,
May your footsteps be joined with fellow travelers as you seek God in the midst of your life today.