Stronger: Part One

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven - whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. I know that this man was caught up into Paradise-- whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows - and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.(Paul the Apostle, 2 Corinthians 12:2-3)

"The dark night is when (Christians) lose all the pleasure that they once experienced in their devotional life. This happens because God wants to purify them and move them on to greater heights." -John of the Cross

When I was growing up, our family would spend Memorial Day in the small town where my mother spent her childhood. We would visit family, than stop at the park for a gourmet picnic lunch.  My mother is a pro at picnics. While she set about transforming the rustic table into a beautiful setting fitting for a delicious meal, my father would race over to the creek tumbling off the hillside for some much-anticipated fishing while my big sister and I would get busy exploring.

I remember on one occasion, when the creek was swollen with spring, my sister, who is three years older than I am, managed to work her way out on to a rock that sat in the middle of that roiling water.  It looked amazing and I simply had to join her there on that magnificent perch.  It wasn't easy for me. My father told me at the time I was about three years old and, at that stage of life, I was short and round.  My mother always told me, "Husky", was just the brand of jeans that I wore...but I made it, and for a few wonderful moments, I joined my sister on that rock as the water rushed by.  It was thrilling, and a little bit scary.

Sometimes are spiritual lives are like that.

We know that it was for Paul.  Most Biblical scholars believe that Paul is being humble here in this passage from 2 Corinthians, and the "man in Christ" that Paul knows and that was caught up to the "third heaven" was Paul himself.  And, in the Biblical understanding of heaven, the "third heaven" and "Paradise" was probably very similar to Isaiah's vision in Isaiah 6:1-5.  Paul is recounting a time in his life where he felt as if he was in the very presence of God. It was thrilling, and a little bit scary.

Perhaps you have has such an experience.

You have felt the presence of God in worship or in prayer. You feel that you are in the very presence of God.  And, when you read the Bible, you are amazed that even familiar passages come alive and God speaks to you in new and exciting ways. I hope you have experienced the "third heaven"; the love and power of God. This experience is one of the most exciting seasons in a Christian's life.

But it isn't always like that.

Sometimes we experience what John of the Cross in the 16th century called the, "Dark night of the Soul."  Even in the 21st century, the dark night is still something that Christians should be familiar with.  While it is true that God will never leave us or forsake us, sometimes it seems like God is distant.  We feel far away from that third heaven, the seraphim, and the shaking ground (see Isaiah 6:3-5).  We feel like we are just going through the motions of worship and prayer. God's word, which once felt so alive, now seems thick and dry. But don't despair.

Such experiences are normal. When we go through them, hold on because we are about to discover that God's love and power are stronger than we could ever imagine.

(...to be continued.)

Church stopping. Less doing. More being.