The thoughts and ways of the Lord are not the same as ours. Since many do not understand this, nor submit themselves well to the wise and sovereign dealings of God, they conduct themselves foolishly and manifest an increasingly negative disposition. Some who may have received a measure of light and life, would now wish to prescribe to the Lord the way in which He ought to lead His children. If, however, the Lord’s dealings are not according to their conception, they either resist or are unable to justify the Lord in His way by subjecting themselves to them with quiet resignation. If they do so, it is only in view of their sinfulness, deeming themselves worthy of being dealt with in this manner—acting as if they were still in the covenant of works, subject to God’s wrath, and as yet not having been translated into the state of grace. If we were wise, we would not disown our spiritual state when God deals with us in a distasteful manner. We would then submit ourselves to God—not only in view of having sinned, and thus having to endure all this, but also because all the Lord’s dealings are only wise, good, faithful, and loving. We would then believe this and willingly submit ourselves to the Lord’s government—however painful this would be, and however little we would be able to comprehend the Lord’s reasons and purposes.
Among all the ways in which the Lord leads His people, spiritual desertion is among the most unique. Believers generally do not behave themselves well when thus led, and it will therefore be fruitful if we delineate the nature of this condition, comfort those who are deserted, and give them direction.
What Spiritual Desertion is Not
First, in discussing spiritual desertion we do not understand this to refer to the desertion of the unconverted. God does grant much temporal prosperity, riches, honor, and prominence to the unconverted. He may grant them external illumination, historical faith, conviction, stirrings unto repentance, and a fleeing from the base pollutions of the world. When such persons abuse all these common blessings and do not repent in consequence of this, God deserts them altogether and gives them over to themselves. Then they become even more abominable than before, upon which even more dreadful judgments may follow. This may already occur in this world, so that divine justice is both observed and glorified in them. However, this will especially occur after they die—in hell. This is to be observed in 1 Sam 16:14: “But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him,” as well as in (Rom 1:21-26). However, we are here discussing the desertion of the regenerate.
Secondly, we do not understand this to be an entire or a final desertion. That is impossible, due to God’s immutable decree and election, Christ’s atonement, the sealing and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and all the sure promises of God. During a period of desertion, the Lord sustains the regenerate by secret and imperceptible influences. “The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down” (Ps 145:14).
Thirdly, we do not understand this to be a lesser infusion of spiritual grace in the one as compared to the other. In His church, God has children of various maturity. There are children, young men, and fathers. The children have a much smaller measure of grace than the fathers, but they are therefore not in a state of desertion. A father can be in a state of desertion while having and preserving more grace than the children.
Fourthly, we also do not understand it to refer to the cessation of extraordinary illuminations and comforts, after which those of an ordinary nature continue. When Paul returned again from the third heaven, it could not be said of him that he was deserted. God also grants certain of His children something extraordinary which is above and beyond the way in which they are commonly led. When this ceases, He causes them to return to their normal state. Such are not to think that they are deserted to a greater or lesser degree since they now have to miss the extraordinary.
Fifthly, we also do not understand this to refer to daily offenses, even though they occur due to the absence of the Spirit’s influence, who indeed would have been able to keep us from such offenses. This is nevertheless not a withdrawal of His normal influences. Even if the falling into special sins (against which we would have been able to remain standing by way of the normal support of the Spirit) indeed occurs due to the withdrawal of His influence—“God left him” 2 Chron 32:31—this is nevertheless not the desertion which is under discussion here.
Sixthly, we also do not understand this to refer to a reduction of habitual grace. God does not only move His own by way of external influences, but rather, He brings spiritual life into the soul, and this life is more vigorous in the one than in the other. This life, by reason of its spiritual principle, not only has an inherent inclination to be active, but in reality also is active by virtue of the normal operation of the Spirit. Thus, this infused propensity is enhanced by way of exercise, but can also be diminished by a variety of causes. In spiritual desertion God neither removes these propensities entirely nor partially. Instead, He withholds the normal operation of the Spirit, and as a necessary consequence of this, habitual graces sometimes diminish. This is, however, not true for all desertion, for in some cases habitual graces will increase—such as is true for tree roots, both during storms as well as during winters.