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The point of these older traditions is that faith becomes strongest when we are without consolation and must walk into the darkness with complete abandon.

Faith isn't really faith if we can always rely on the still, small voice of God cheering us on. A prominent pastor once told me he experienced the Holy Spirit's presence every moment. Contemporary evangelicals regard this as maturity. Perhaps it is—or maybe it is a form of presumption. True faith trusts even when every outward reality tells us there is no reason to.

As theologian Michael Novak explains, true faith says, "Let this be done, Lord, according to your will"—even if we don't know what "this" is.

Evangelicals must rely on more than cheerful tunes, easy answers, and happy smiles. We must dig deeply into the church's treasures to find what it is like to worship God, not because of our circumstances, but in spite of them.

Following the events of 2005, my faith is deepened. Countless times over the years I've experienced God and his providence, but I've also known the dark night. God, I've realized, is not just the friend who takes my hand, but also the great, majestic Creator who reigns forever.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

CT excerpted Colson's story about his grandson's battle with autism from his book The Good Life.

Recent Charles Colson columns for Christianity Today include:

Machiavellian Morality | One reason teenagers, among others, are jammed in our prisons. (Sept. 22, 2005)

Verdict that Demands Evidence | It is Darwinists, not Christians, who are stonewalling the facts. (March 28, 2005)

The Moral Home Front | America's increasing decadence is giving aid and comfort to Muslim terrorists. (Sept. 23, 04)

Reclaiming Occupied Territory | The Great Commission and the cultural commission are not in competition. (July 21, 2004)

Societal Suicide | Legalizing gay marriage will lead to more family breakdown and crime. (May 24, 2004)

Evangelical Drift | Outsiders say we're the status quo. Our call is to prove them wrong. (March 29, 2004)

Confronting Moral Horror | It's a witness even the most jaded find impressive. (Feb. 04, 2004)

The Postmodern Crackup | From soccer moms to college campuses, signs of the end. (Dec. 09, 2003)

Sowing Confusion | One small ruling for Texas; one giant leap into a cultural abyss. (Oct. 03, 2003)

Being Here | Why we should sink our roots in the places we call home. (July, 28, 2003)

Beyond Condoms | To alleviate AIDS, we must sharpen our moral vision. (June 10, 2003)

Taming Beasts | Raising the moral status of dogs has created a breed of snarling, dangerous humans. (April 3, 2003)

Faith vs. Statistics | Beware of doing ethics by crunching numbers. (Jan. 28, 2003)

Just War in Iraq | Sometimes going to war is the charitable thing to do. (Dec. 10, 2002)

A Clan of One's Own | Hacking through the jungle of identity politics. (Oct. 9, 2002)

Undaunted | Bioethics challenges are huge. But so is God. (July 31, 2002)

The Wages of Secularism | New laws won't prevent another Enron. (June 4, 2002)

More Doctrine, Not Less | We need to proclaim truth to a truth-impaired generation. (April 15, 2001)

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December 2005, Vol. 49, No. 12