The Soul's Repeated Warfare Against Despondency

When David cries out, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" he employs a tested remedy—one he had already discovered and proven effective. Notice that David does not merely pose the question once; he takes up his soul "very short," demanding accountability: "Why art thou so cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?"

Spurgeon observes through Richard Sibbes that David's passions and comforts become interlaced, woven together until he finally gains victory over his own heart. Here lies a profound truth for struggling believers: neither sin nor sorrow yields to a single rebuke. Some weak-spirited Christians abandon hope if immediate quietness does not arrive; but the truly mature soul knows better.

When David checks himself, the distemper does not cease. He must check himself again—and again the distress breaks forth. Yet he persists, applying correction repeatedly until his soul reaches that "holy, blessed, quiet, temper."

Consider the physician's method: one purgative may fail to remove the corrupted humour; a second application becomes necessary; perhaps even a third. So the soul that has been checked once may require repeated corrections. We must return to God again and again. The malady may resurge, demanding fresh vigilance. The right Christian temper never surrenders but continues the battle until tranquility and sweet communion with Adonai are restored.