I lie in the dust, completely discouraged; revive me by your

word." Psalm 119:25

Ah! how many whose eye scans this page may take up and breathe David's words.
You feel a deadness, a dullness, and an earthliness in spiritual enjoyments, and
duties, and privileges, in which your whole soul should be all life, all fervor, all
love. You are low where you ought to be elevated; you grovel where you ought to
soar; you cleave to the earth where you ought to be embracing the heavens. Your
thoughts are low; your affections are low; your feelings are low; your spirits are
low; and you seem almost ready to question the existence of the life of God in
your soul.

But even in this sad and depressed state may there not be something cheering,
encouraging, hopeful? There was evidently in David's-"My soul cleaves unto the
dust: quicken me." This was the cheering, encouraging, hopeful feature in the
Psalmists's case-his breathing after the requickening of the Divine life of his soul.
Here was that which marked him a man of God. It was a living man complaining
of his deadness, and breathing after more life. It was a heaven-born soul
lamenting its earthliness, and panting after more of heaven. It was a spiritual
man mourning over his carnality, and praying for more spirituality. It is not the
prayer of one conscious of the low state of His soul, and yet satisfied with that
state.

" I lie in the dust, completely discouraged; revive me by your word." Perhaps no
expression is more familiar to the ear, and no acknowledgment is more
frequently on the lips of religious professors, than this. And yet where is the
accompanying effort to rise above it? Where is the putting on of the armor?
Where is the conflict? Where is the effort to emerge from the dust, to break
away from the enthrallment, and soar into a higher and purer region? Alas!
many from whose lips smoothly glides the humiliating confession still embrace
the dust, and seem to love the dust, and never stretch their pinions to rise
above it. But let us study closely this lesson of David's experience, that while
deep lamentation filled his heart, and an honest confession breathed from his
lips, there was also a breathing, a panting of soul, after a higher and a better
state. He seemed to say-"Lord, I am prostrate, but I long to rise; I am fettered,
but I struggle to be free; my soul cleaves to the dust, but quicken me!" Similar
to this was the state of the Church, so graphically depicted by Solomon in his
Song-"I sleep, but my heart wakes."