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The sermon presents spiritual darkness as a real experience that may affect genuine believers without disproving their faith. Spurgeon identifies persevering desire for God—especially when comfort and other evidences disappear—as an important sign of grace. For awakened sinners, he emphasizes constancy, warns against delay, and directs them to Christ’s promise to save those who believe and call upon Him. The sermon combines tender comfort for doubting believers with urgent warnings to respond to the gospel today.
Theological center: Salvation rests on God’s merciful promise in Christ, while persistent desire for God in darkness may evidence the Spirit’s gracious work.
Applications: Desire God in Darkness · Test Desire by Constancy · Seek Christ Without Delay · Believe Christ’s Promise
Primary texts: Isaiah 26:9 · Hebrews 3:15 · 1 Timothy 1:15
“With my soul have I desired thee in the night.” Isaiah 26:9 NIGHT appears to be a time peculiarly favorable to devotion. Its solemn stillness helps to free the mind from that perpetual din which the cares of the world will bring around it. And the stars looking down from heaven upon us shine as if they would attract us up to God. I know not how you may be affected by the solemnities of midnight, but when I have sat alone musing on the great God and the mighty universe, I have felt that indeed I could worship Him, for night seemed to be spread abroad as a very temple for adoration, while the moon walked as high priest amid the stars, the worshippers, and I myself joined in that silent song which they sang unto God, “Great art thou, O God! Great in thy works. When I consider your heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” I find that this sense of the power of midnight not only acts upon religious men, but there is a certain poet, whose character, perhaps, I could scarcely too much reprobate—a man very far from understanding true religion—one whom I may, I suppose, justly style an infidel, a libertine of the worst order, and yet he says concerning night in one of his poems— “’Tis midnight on the mountains’ brown, The cold round moon shines deeply down; Blue roll the waters, blue the sky Spreads like an ocean hung on high, Bespangled with those isles of light, So wildly, spiritually bright; Who ever gazed upon them shining, And turning to earth without repining, Nor wish’d for wings to flee away, And mix with their eternal ray.” Even with the most irreligious person, a man farthest from spiritual thought, it seems that there is some power in the grandeur and stillness of night to draw him up to God. I trust many of us can say, like David, “I have thought upon thee continually, I have mused upon thy name in the night watches, and with desire have I desired thee in the night.” But I leave that thought altogether. I shall not speak of night natural at all, although there may be a great deal of room for poetic thought and expression. I shall address myself to two orders of persons and shall endeavor to show what I conceive to be the meaning of the text. May God make it useful to you both. First, I shall speak to confirmed Christians. And from this text I shall bring one or two remarks to bear upon their case, if they are in darkness. Second, I shall speak to newly awakened souls and try if I can to find some of them who can say, “Wit…