In Part 2 came words of wisdom regarding what you will experience first. According to Pastor David Wilkerson, at some point you be served a cup of pain. Listen to Jesus' words in the Garden: "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39).
As we begin to explore Part 3 be aware of the confusion that lies ahead...not only for you but those around you. Yes.....this is indeed a journey unlike any other. Let's let Pastor Wilkerson show us the way....
To be a man or woman of God, you also must face a night of confusion. Jesus said, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew 26:38). Can you imagine the Son of God saying this? Didn't He know He was about to claim all victory over hell, death and the grave? Didn't He have an innate sense of guidance and destiny, knowing the Father was with Him? After all, He had told His disciples, "A little while, and ye shall not see me...because I go to the Father" (John 16:16). He knew in His prophetic vision He would face this hour.
Yet the hardest part of faith is the last half hour. The night of confusion always comes just before the victory, just before the light dawns. But rest assured, dear saint: Before the power of Satan is broken, you'll face your night of confusion.
It will seem that your sense of purpose and guidance has been lost. When David's night of confusion came, he said, "Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate" (Psalm 143:4). In Peter's dark night of confusion, he became afraid and cursed his Master.
When Job faced his dark night, he said, "Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not" (Job 9:11). A move had taken place in heaven - a checker moved on the board of Job's life - and he responded by saying, "Lord, I haven't trusted in my riches. I haven't hidden my sins. I've been honest; my integrity hasn't left me. Why must I suffer? Why do I have to face this confusion, something I don't even understand?"
Like Job, many Christians cannot understand why they must suffer. They wonder, "Lord, I've not cheated anybody. I'm not seeing another man's wife. I don't have any dishonesty in me. Why should I have to face a night of confusion? Why can't I get clear guidance?"
Imagine the terror of David, the fearless warrior-king ruling a mighty nation, as the prophet Nathan came to him and exposed his sin. David wrote three beautiful psalms about his night of confusion, when he could not understand why he had sinned. He wrote, "It's too hard for me. My sins have overwhelmed me, and my foolishness has deceived my heart." After all the years of reaching out to God, David could not understand how he could have been so foolish. "Why?" he must have wondered.
Like David, many godly people today face a moral issue in their life - and in their night of confusion they say, "God, why me? My heart was searching after You, and suddenly sin overwhelmed me. It plagued my soul."
Don't think that a person who has been used by God has the answers to these questions. Even the most humble servant of God doesn't hear clearly from the Father all the time. I've known what it is like to face that divine silence, to not hear God's voice for a season.
I have walked through periods of total confusion, with no apparent guidance, the still, small voice behind me completely silent. I've had times when there was no friend nearby to satisfy my heart with a word of advice. All my patterns of guidance from before had gone awry, and I was left in total darkness. I could not see my way, and I made mistake after mistake. I wanted to say, "Oh God, what has happened? I don't know which way to go!"
That's some positive confession to make, you say. But you too will face that kind of confusion when God begins to test your commitment to Him! Thank God, it is only a dark night, and it will pass - because the Lord desires to make our path clear.
Whew......that's alot to digest let alone understand!! But stay the course. There is victory. Before that, Pastor Wilkerson talks about "An Hour of Isolation". That's what's up next in Part 4.
YGG,
John
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