PRE-472-472. An Eclipse of Faith

472. An Eclipse of Faith

An Eclipse of Faith

by David Wilkerson

April 21, 2008

[May 19, 1931 '96 April 27, 2011]

'93[Jesus] said Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

'93And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me'94 (Luk_22:31-34).

In a previous message, I wrote of how Peter endured an '93eclipse of faith.'94 Such experiences have faced devoted Christians throughout history. I have felt prompted by the Spirit recently to revisit this subject and explore it further, to shed light on '93eclipses of faith'94 being endured by so many saints today.

As you recall, Peter'92s eclipse happened at Passover. Jesus turned aside to his bold disciple and revealed, '93Simon, Satan desires to have you, so that he might sift you like wheat.'94 Some scholars translate this to mean, essentially, '93Peter, Satan has demanded I turn you over to him, that he may shake your very life.'94

The warning here is clear: Satan was about to orchestrate a supernatural attack on Peter'92s faith. To sift means to '93shake violently, up and down, sideways, back and forth, to stir in every way.'94 Simply put, the devil wanted to shake the foundations of Peter'92s faith in the severest way possible.

Earlier that day, Peter had boasted of having an unfailing faith. He had said to Jesus in front of the other disciples, '93Lord, I will never doubt you. I would die before I ever mistrusted you.'94

Make no mistake: Peter'92s faith wasn'92t just froth or mere emotion. Of all the disciples, this man had demonstrated boldness of belief time after time. It was he who stepped out of the boat to take the first few steps on the water toward Jesus. And Peter had declared such faith in Jesus'92 divinity '97 saying, '93Thou art the Christ, the Son of God'94 '97 that Jesus said he would build his church upon this testimony. Peter'92s belief was real '97 and that is the very reason the devil went after him.

Satan doesn'92t demand opportunities to break down people whose faith is weak or wavering.

Few of us realize this truth when we'92re in the midst of a trial. We don'92t see that we'92re in the fire because of our walk with Jesus, that the devil is trying to quench our hunger for God'92s presence. Think about Peter: here was a man about to become a pillar of God'92s church, launching the gospel into the world at Pentecost. You can be sure Satan was not going to let that happen without a fight.

Of course, all Christians are tested concerning their faith. It happens as the flesh rises up against the spirit to lust after the things of the world. I thank God for the day-by-day faith that sustains his saints in this battle.

But for some servants, Satan'92s sifting is much more than a war between flesh and spirit. It is an on-site, face-to-face, supernatural attack by the devil himself to try to destroy their belief. Such servants'92 faith comes under direct, well-devised attacks by forces of hell, shaking them mentally, physically and spiritually. Yet I want to show you how God has ordained our faith to come through these severe fires.

Jesus knew the satanic onslaught to come upon Peter was aimed at his faith. So he prepared his disciple by telling him, '93I have prayed for you that your faith fail not.'94 Jesus even forewarned Peter he would fall: '93And when you are converted [when you have come through it], strengthen your brothers.'94 Finally, Jesus said something his disciple simply couldn'92t receive: '93I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows this day, you will have denied three times that you know me.'94

Stop and think about this: what if Jesus had spoken this about you? How would you have reacted? '93But Lord, you know I'92ve been faithful. I have forsaken all to follow you. And you'92ve given me promises to keep me from falling. But now you'92re saying I'92ll do unspeakable things, that I'92ll talk like an atheist. How could this be?'94

I believe most Christians would have this reaction. We may have experienced times of sifting, but few of us could imagine Satan'92s attacks being so severe we would be tempted to deny Jesus.

Now picture Peter standing outside the religious council, warming himself by the fire. This was the hour Jesus warned would come, when the power of darkness would seem to eclipse everything. I can only imagine the awful things Satan injected into Peter'92s mind then, causing him to wonder:

'93I can'92t believe what'92s happening to Jesus. If he were truly God, how could he allow such humiliation to take place? He'92s supposed to be the Son of the living God. Yet if he can'92t deliver himself, how can he deliver me? All the things he told us are going up in smoke. Where is God'92s power, his presence at this desperate hour?'94

Many of us have asked the same questions in the midst of our trials. We are just as baffled as Peter when we cry out to the Lord and don'92t hear answers'85when our situation goes from bad to worse'85when we'92re reduced to soul-shaking terror.

What do I mean by the phrase '93eclipse of faith'94?

In nature, a solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, obscuring the light either partially or totally. For a while, the sun seems literally to disappear, and the daylight suddenly becomes dark. The Greek meaning of eclipse is, '93I am absent,'94 or, '93I cease to exist.'94 In ancient thinking, the sun was actually extinguished for a while by the gods.

For Christians, a '93spiritual eclipse'94 is a dark hour when God seems to be absent from our lives. It happens most often during times of testing, as Satan moves in to try to obscure our vision of the Lord. He attempted it with Peter, throwing everything in hell at the disciple to try to send his faith into an eclipse of total darkness.

Tell me, have you ever faced such an eclipse? An hour when your mind was flooded with questions? When your prayers seemed to fall on the ground, and God'92s Word seemed closed to you? When you felt your life was empty, useless, a total failure?

At such times, you hear whispers of accusation: '93After all the praying you'92ve done, all the revelations you'92ve received from God'92s Word, all your testifying of God'92s faithfulness '97 after all of that, you'92re still weak. You can'92t practice what you preach.'94 Suddenly you'92re tempted to think, '93This faith-walk doesn'92t make sense in my life. None of it adds up for me, and I can'92t make it work. I don'92t think I can go on with this. I'92m too beaten down. I can'92t handle it anymore.'94

Consider Peter'92s language in the midst of his eclipse of faith. When someone asked him, '93Aren'92t you a follower of this Jesus?'94 Peter lied, '93I don'92t know what you'92re talking about. I don'92t know who that man is.'94 When pressed about it a second time, he again responded, '93I don'92t know him.'94 Finally, when asked a third time, Peter uttered a curse and screamed, '93I'92ve never been with this man!'94

Talk about a total eclipse of faith. Peter sounded like an enraged atheist. His faith was completely shattered. He had crossed a line, actually denying Jesus. This same bold disciple who had cast out demons had now sunk to total unbelief. Some must have thought, '93Surely God is finished with Peter, removing his anointing from his life. After all, how could any true servant of God speak this way?'94

I'92ll tell you how it can happen. It occurs when we'92re under the enemy'92s heavy barrage and God seems completely absent. That is precisely the time when Satan'92s voice comes through so loud and clear we lose all sight of the Lord. Suddenly, we feel our life has been spent in vain, that it has counted for nothing. In that dark moment of eclipse, the devil has created such chaos we can'92t possibly see a way out. We can'92t imagine God'92s power being able to deliver us.

Satan had wanted Peter to spin out into total despair. Indeed, the disciple realized to his horror, '93I denied Jesus. Not just once, but three times. What has happened to me?'94 Imagine the cloud of condemnation cloaking Peter'92s mind in that hour.

What about you? Have you lived under condemnation because at one point your faith went into eclipse? Maybe you continually turned to a sinful habit or doubted God'92s ability to work his covenant promises in your life. Since then you'92ve lived in a spiral of fear, guilt and condemnation.

We all know how God delivered Peter out of this horrible time. He did it the same way he delivered other holy men in Scripture who faced their own eclipse of faith.

1. Elijah, a man who truly heard from God, suffered a severe eclipse of his faith.

Elijah'92s faith literally opened and shut heaven. Here was a prophet fearless in his testimony, a man whose rugged faith in God caused kings to fear him and hell to tremble. When Satan had Israel in his grip, Elijah rose up in faith and brought down all idolatry.

Yet this holy prophet endured a dark eclipse of faith. Satan knew the impact that Elijah'92s faith would have on Israel, and he orchestrated an attack through wicked Queen Jezebel. It happened at the moment of Elijah'92s greatest triumph: he had just slain 400 prophets of Baal and raced on foot from Mount Carmel to Jezreel. But when he arrived, he learned Jezebel had put a price on his head, declaring, '93Elijah is a dead man.'94

Emotionally spent, Elijah'92s faith collapsed. In a single dark hour, the powerful faith that could open heaven had shriveled into doubt. Hiding in a cave, exhausted, Elijah fell into a deep depression. He gave up on life, saying in so many words, '93I'92m through with faith, hope, zeal. Life isn'92t worth living. I'92ve given everything I can, but it has all blown up in my face. Doesn'92t God care? Lord, take me out of this mess. Just kill me.'94

You may think of Elijah the same as Peter: '93Surely this man has crossed a line. How could a holy servant preach righteousness and do such mighty works, yet deny God cares?'94 I ask you: did God remove Elijah'92s anointing for blaring such unbelief? Did he rebuke the prophet for his accusations? No, God ministered to his servant, feeding and strengthening him. In fact, he sent an angel to prepare a meal for Elijah so full of supernatural nourishment it sustained the prophet for forty days.

2. Jeremiah also suffered an eclipse of faith.

Here was a powerful preacher of holiness and repentance, a fearless prophet who had the mind of God and walked in the fear of the Lord. Yet as we read Jer_20:1-18, we find this man suffering a horrible eclipse of faith.

Jeremiah was preaching at the temple gate when a Satan-possessed priest, Pashur, marched up and slapped the prophet'92s face. Pashur ordered Jeremiah dragged off and locked in a public stock, where he was mocked before passing crowds. When released, Jeremiah pronounced God'92s judgment on Pashur and his followers: '93You, Pashur, and this city are coming down. You'92re all going into captivity'94 (see Jer_20:6).

Immediately, a darkness of soul descended on Jeremiah, and he collapsed in discouragement. The once-penetrating holiness preacher now vented dark feelings toward God: '93Lord, you deceived me. The word you gave me has become a reproach. Every day I'92m ridiculed. You'92ve abandoned me, so I'92m quitting you. I'92m not going to speak your Word anymore. All your promises are empty. My life and ministry have ended in shame. You should have killed me in the womb'94 (see Jer_20:7-8).

Tell me, did Jeremiah cross a line here? Could such language come out of anyone who claims to serve God? We find our answer in the very next chapter: '93The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah'94 (see 21:1). The prophet'92s eclipse passed, and God did not miss a beat. Jeremiah'92s most effective ministry lay ahead of him.

God is always aware of the devices and attacks Satan uses against his most effective servants. In both Elijah'92s and Jeremiah'92s lives, God knew their faith would endure the eclipse. He knew their cries came out of confusion and pain. And Scripture makes it clear: not for a single moment did God lift his anointing from either of them.

Most of us can'92t relate to the severe siftings and faith eclipses of these spiritual giants.

As we read about Elijah and Jeremiah, we think, '93I have never been pressed to the point that I begged God to take my life, as Elijah did. I'92ve never accused God of deceiving me, as Jeremiah did. And I'92ve never said to the Lord, '91I quit.'92 These men'92s eclipses were total, a temporary overshadowing of their faith. I can'92t relate to that.'94

Yet this doesn'92t mean our faith has not experienced an eclipse. Ours may be more hidden. The truth is, we can develop an equally despairing attitude if we feel God has let us down. After a disappointing experience, Satan may implant thoughts like these: '93Where is your God now, when you need him? Things are going from bad to worse, but he'92s nowhere in sight. God promised to make a way of escape for you. Where is he?'94

Though we may not express it outwardly, we entertain thoughts that the Lord is not with us, that he'92s mad at us, that we aren'92t measuring up in his eyes. So we give God the silent treatment, backing off from him in prayer and neglecting to trust him in our trials.

No matter what level our eclipse may be, partial or total, we have to realize the devil is behind the attack. It isn'92t being caused by something in our nature, nor by God'92s wrath, but rather it comes as a supernatural assault from hell. If we fail to recognize this, our downward spiral will continue. We dare not underestimate Satan'92s determination to shipwreck our faith.

You may ask, '93But isn'92t Jesus right to be offended when we mistrust him? Doesn'92t it grieve him when we waver and question his faithfulness?'94 Yes, it does grieve him. And yes, our unbelieving thoughts can lead to confusion and chaos. Bitterness can take root and, if allowed to harden, can lead to a complete falling away.

But the fact remains, God knows the true depths of what is in your heart, and for him nothing has changed about you. He doesn'92t suddenly see you as his enemy, changing in an instant because of your troubled spirit. He still considers you his friend, a warrior for the kingdom who'92s on the cusp of moving into new areas of trust. And for that very reason, you have become a target of Satan.

The devil is absolutely determined to block your vision of God'92s mercy and grace. Like the moon during an eclipse, he is little by little attempting to cover up your view of Jesus until things become completely dark. Yet, all along, God has planned for your faith to come through this temporary eclipse.

3. Many of us are able to relate to the partial eclipse of faith David endured.

In Psa_55:1-23, David speaks of a satanic attack that drained his strength and patience. It caused an eclipse so severe David wanted to run. He moaned, '93There is pain in my soul, a pressure that never lets up. It'92s a battle that never ends. What I'92m going through terrifies me. There are times I can'92t stop trembling.

'93Lord, don'92t hide from me anymore. Please, listen to my complaint. You have to make a way of escape for me. If I only had wings like a dove, I would fly out of this place and hide in some wilderness. I just want rest from this battle.'94

What was the cause of David'92s awful battle? It was a voice: '93Because of the voice of the enemy'94 (Psa_55:3). In Hebrew, the meaning here is '93the voice of a man.'94 It was Satan speaking, along with his demonic oppressors: '93Because of the oppression of the wicked'94 (55:3).

David says of these voices, '93They cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me'94 (55:3). He'92s saying, in essence, '93The tongues of devils are hurling accusations at me. Satan and his henchmen conspire against me, harassing me with lies. They dig up failures from my past and bring them before me, trying to make me fearful.'94

What did David do about this? He cried out to the Lord for help, asking him to silence the enemy'92s accusations: '93Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues'94 (55:9). '93Every day they wrest [twist] my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil'85. They mark my steps'94 (56:5, 6).

David'92s testimony makes it clear for all of us: this is war. We are facing evil powers, in a fight for our faith against the father of lies. And the only way we can do battle is to cry out to the Lord for help.

Like other holy servants of God, David came out of his eclipse and was used mightily as never before. Beloved, the same joy awaits us just beyond our eclipse. Yet it is when we are at our lowest '97 at the deepest point of our unbelief '97 that God is doing his deepest work in us, preparing us to glorify him.

Have you been sifted recently, your faith seeming to fail in a dark hour of eclipse?

Like Peter, you may feel utterly defeated. Or, like Jeremiah, you feel God has deceived and abandoned you. Or, like Elijah, you are overwhelmed and simply want your life to be over. You see no way out of your eclipse.

I urge you to do three things:

1. Rest in God'92s love for you. Remember these servants'92 examples and the plan God had in place for each of them through their trial. They were meant to come out of their eclipse prepared for the ministry God had ready for them.

2. Know that no matter deep your unbelieving thoughts, the Lord sees what you are going through, and his love for you never wavers. Though we are faithless, he remains faithful: '93We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived; after that the kindness and love of God our Savior'85appeared'94 (Tit_3:3-4).

The Greek meaning of '93appeared'94 here is '93superimposed.'94 God looks on our struggles, worries, fears and questionings '97 in short, our times of eclipse, filled with foolishness and disobedience '97 and he superimposes his divine love over us. No matter what our condition, his love reigns over us.

3. Do as David did and cry to the Lord night and day. '93Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you. In the morning my prayer comes before you. Incline your ear to my cry'94 (see Psa_55:1-23).

Dear saint, make this your prayer, as I have made it mine:

'93Lord, at times I have given you the silent treatment. I have backed away from you because of my disappointments. But I step toward you now in prayer, by faith. Hear my cry, Jesus. I know this is not my battle to fight, but yours. I trust you to silence the enemy'92s tongues. And I know that your love reigns over me, even at my darkest times. I rest in your delight in me. Amen.'94

By: David Wilkerson