Confront Your Soul and Remember God's Mercy

What if our condition is so dark that we cannot read in ourselves any evidence of grace? Here look up to God's infinite mercy in Christ, as we did at our conversion, when we found no goodness in ourselves. That is the way to recover whatever we think we have lost. When the waters of sanctification are troubled and muddy, let us run to the witness of blood. God seems to walk sometimes contrary to himself; he seems to discourage, when secretly he does encourage, as the woman of Canaan in Matthew 15:21-28. Faith can find out these ways of God, and untie these knots, by looking to the merciful nature of God. Let our foolish and rebellious flesh murmur as much as it will, 'Who are you?" and 'What is your worth?’ yet a Christian 'knows whom he believes' (2 Tim. 1:12). Faith has learned to set God against all. We must go on to add grace to grace. A growing and fruitful Christian is always a comfortable Christian. Christ is first a king of righteousness, and then a king of peace (Heb. 7:2).
Another thing that hinders the comfort of Christians is, that they forget what a gracious and merciful covenant they live under, in which the perfection that is required is found in Christ. Perfection in us is sincerity; what is the end of faith but to bring us to Christ? Now imperfect faith, if sincere, knits us to Christ, in whom our perfection lies.
There is no portion of Scripture more often used to fetch up drooping spirits than this: 'Why are you cast down, O my soul?' (Psa. 42:11). It is figurative, and full of rhetoric, and enough to quietly persuade the perplexed soul to trust in God; which, without this retiring into ourselves and checking our hearts, will never be brought to pass. As David acquainted himself with this form of dealing with his soul, so let us, demand a reason of ourselves, 'Why we are cast down?' Which will at least check and put a stop to the distress and make us fit to consider more solid grounds of true comfort.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
The Soul's Conflict with Itself, Works, vol. 1, pp. 124-25
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