How We Can Get Stuck (1:21)
Reasoning – We can try to think our ay out of the dark night, treating it like a puzzle to be solved with a new book or podcast, hoping our minds can figure things out.
Role Playing – We can cling frantically to the approval of others, terrified of what people with think if our performance-driven faith collapses.
Resisting – We can refuse to let go of our self-constructed identity, and pound the wall in endless frustration, or drop out of faith entirely because it no longer feels easy or useful.
Retreating – We can retreat back to what felt familiar, even if it’s no longer life-giving, because it’s more comfortable.
How We Can Move Through (1:25)
Release Gently – Lean intentionally into stillness, and sleep, trusting that God holds your life… especially when your hands are empty.
Remain Patiently – Practice the grace of letting your prayer shift from “God, take me out of this,” to “God, take me through,” knowing that every patient breath in the darkness is a step toward transformation.
Re-Imagine Freely – While we can know a lot about God, there is far more that we can’t know with certainty. Embrace the living mystery of Christ and love Him for who He is rather than what He provides.
Reconnect Relationally – Refuse to hide. Get and stay connected to a healthy community of faith whose trust and warmth can carry you when your own fuel tank is empty.
Reflection (1:34)
Consider times of spiritual darkness you may have known. What was this darkness like for you? What does it feel like even now?
What aspects of letting go or being stripped did you experience? What was God like for you in that silence?
How have you gotten stuck in the past? How are you feeling stuck here now? What does your “stuckness” look like?
If you are currently standing right at the Wall, what would it look like to stop fighting the darkness, loosen your grip on control, and simply trust Got to meet you where you are?