When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. Psalm 30:6-12
“This is the first and principal benefit caused by this arid and dark night of contemplation: the knowledge of oneself and of one’s misery. For, besides the fact that all the favours which God grants to the soul are habitually granted to them enwrapped in this knowledge, these aridities and this emptiness of the faculties, compared with the abundance which the soul experienced aforetime and the difficulty which it finds in good works, make it recognize its own lowliness and misery, which in the time of its prosperity it was unable to see.”
John of the Cross (1542-1591) in Dark Night of the Soul, trans. and ed. by E. Allison Peers (Critical Edition of P. Silverio De Santa Teresa, C.D.) 37.
While Luther, Calvin, and others fought the battle for the mind in Germany and Switzerland as part of the Reformation, Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross wrestled for the heart down in Spain as part of the Counter-Reformation. Their work was foundational for the spiritual formation movement.
In today’s Psalm, David recounts highs and lows. Times when he called to God for help and times when God made him stand firm. What’s this got to do with generosity as we explore the theme of abundance through church history?
Dry and dark times in life drive us to God. They teach us knowledge of Him that we did not know. They accomplish good works in us that could not otherwise be accomplished. They teach us lessons that we simply cannot grasp in times of prosperity. Think about it (Selah).
Perhaps our greatest act of generosity for another person today might cost us more than money. It might be the combination of a listening ear, our loving presence, and a probing question that invites them to consider what God may be teaching them through a trial.
Sit with them in that place, because it’s dark and lonely. Often we try to make everything great for them, when our most generous act toward them might be our loving presence. Jenni excels at this. I have my moments. If words are in order, maybe share lessons you have learned in such times.
Today I fly to San Diego to drive our daughter, Sophie, and her boyfriend, Peter, as far as Richfield, Utah (about half way home). May bless us with rich conversation along the way. I plan to ask about the highs and lows of their junior year in college and what God taught them as individuals and as a couple.