The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight!
By Amanda Shiflett
I have gone through this “dark night of the soul” personally in this last season of my life, with the sudden death of my father, and the extreme difficulty of many other things in my life. I have sensed & known that there are many others who have gone through something similar in this last season, so I wanted to share. It's long, but for those who need to hear it, it's worth it!
Here is what I was sensing this morning…
You have walked through the “dark night” in this last season, and although you have prayed and stood on His promises, instead of getting better, things have seemingly only gotten darker…so dark that, at times you can't even see the path in front of you. You have felt alone in this dark night, as the intense battle rages around you! You have been close to quitting, simply because you didn't think you could take anymore…but you have fought on. Wearied from the battle, from the intense darkness and solitude of the season, yet you fought on. The fog has been so dense at times, that it was almost choking! At times it felt so dark, that you wondered if you will ever see light again! Will the fog ever lift? Will you ever feel the warmth of the beautiful sun again, hear the songs of the birds as they sing in the fresh morning light? There were some times of brokenness that you wanted to ask “Lord, where are you? It's so dark, I can't see you here!” Yet mostly, the deafening sound of the darkness that surrounds you, was all you could hear. There have been moments, where you heard His faint whisper letting you know He was there, and you were going to make it…but then the whisper was drowned out by the battle around you, drowned out by the heaviness of the darkness and fog.
Through all of this, He wants you to know, that He is there…right beside you. He has not left your side, but is gently guiding you with His hand, although many times you can't feel Him or hear Him there. He is guiding you through this dark night, and He will guide you back into the Sun again! You will feel the warm rays again, and feel the refreshing moment of knowing that morning has dawned, and the dark night is over!
I keep hearing this old gospel song in my heart this morning, which happens to be the first song I ever remember singing as a child of three years old ~Joy Comes In the Morning:
“Hold on, My Child, Hold on, My Child,
Joy comes in the morning…weeping only last for the night;
Hold on My Child, Hold on My Child,
Joy comes in the morning…the darkest hour means dawn is just in sight!”
For those who have been walking through the ‘dark night of the soul' in this last season…don't give up, keep your faith, and hold on to His hand! You have been going through an intense testing, a pruning season, and your armor is being proven! Your resolve is needing to be proven, your determination and willingness to trust Him, even in the darkest and worst of times. You are being proven and your faith is on trial.
When you come through this, you will be stronger than ever, and you will be tempered like steel for the battles ahead. You will be ready to step into your destiny on a whole new level! You will be stronger within than you thought was possible, but you must keep your soft heart…you must allow Him to soften your heart, while still hardening your armor! Draw closer to Him, and let Him keep your heart pliable.
The testing time of this dark night is almost over…remember, the darkest hour means dawn is just in sight!!
“He sent a man before them – Joseph – who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him.” ~ Psalms 105:17-19
“…Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” ~Psalms 30:5
Amanda Shiflett is a heralding voice of truth, holiness, and purity within the prophetic, and calls others to stand in a place of no compromise in their callings. She longs to see reformation come to the prophetic movement, as well as the other parts of the 5-fold within the body of Christ.
