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I. IT IS NOT A STRANGE EXPERIENCE FOR BELIEVERS TO BE IN THIS DEPRESSED CONDITION, THE SOUL CLEAVING TO THE DUST. — Sometimes there may be physical causes connected with a man's state of health, and sometimes other providences of God are concerned in producing this state of things, but it is a stage in a man's spiritual history. There are many causes which have to do with it. Generally it is connected with indwelling sin. More particularly it arises in connection with the failure of faith on the part of believers. Looking at it from the side of God's providence, it is permitted by God just as a step in the believer's history; because it is necessary that the believer's history should include an enlarged acquaintance with himself, with his own insufficiency, with his own tendency to unbelief, and darkness, and sin.

II. IT IS NOT CHARACTERISTIC OF A BELIEVER TO BE CONTENTED IN THIS CONDITION. How should he be? If he is a believer he has faith in the living God, and in the power of a life-giving Christ. Now, can any man have a believing consciousness that there is this living and life-giving Christ, this Mediator, this Redeemer, and be contented with an experience which in so humiliating a way contrasts with Christ and the fit state of Christ's people? The believer has faith also in the life-giving Spirit and in the mission and work of the Holy Ghost in its peculiar power and gentleness and love. What it is, perhaps, he can hardly feel when his soul is cleaving to the dust; but he believes it. How can a man who believes this be content to go on with his soul cleaving to the dust? And, again, the believer has the conviction and persuasion that his proper home and portion are above; that there is a heaven on high containing all elements that are pure and suitable to the life and blessedness of God, and he is on the way to it, and his Lust is that, through God's mercy, he will reach the country he seeks. And with these experiences how can he be contented to lie in the dust, making no progress — at least not feeling that he is making progress? Therefore he casts himself on God in prayer.

III. THERE IS A SURE REFUGE FOR THE BELIEVER WITH REFERENCE TO THIS CASE OF HIS. There is life for those who feel in themselves so much that looks like death. "Quicken thou me" — give me life, cause me to live — "according to Thy Word." This cry is not merely a cry of distress. He has the Word which he can plead made known to him. What Word? There are many particular promises adapting the provisions of the Gospel to the experience of believers; but we should always have regard to the root promise when we betake ourselves to God. That promise was given to Abraham: "I will be a God unto thee." Therefore, he whose soul cleaves to the dust is met and satisfied by that great promise that out of an experience in itself no way good to us or glorifying to God may come lessons good for us and glorifying to God. Application:

1. There is great reason for hopefulness in the condition of believers even when their souls cleave to the dust. There is comfort for the sorrowful, refreshing for the weary, strength for the weak, life for the faint, and forgiveness of sins for sinners.

2. There is great reason for earnestness. It is not a fitting thing that people should be contented while their souls are cleaving to the dust. There should be earnest and instant recourse to God, with the expectation that something very different from cleaving to the dust shall presently be ours.

3. There is a sure reward for those that seek the Lord.

(R. Rainy, D. D.)

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KJV: DALETH. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.

WEB: My soul is laid low in the dust. Revive me according to your word!