The holy Psalmist says, Thy comforts have given joy to my soul. Can we say so? Of all the comforts any one has, the best are internal, and lying in the thoughts and dispositions of the heart; for those are our greatest, truest comforts with which God is pleased, and when there are thoughts and dispositions of which He is the source and subject, they please Him, and will give us true joy. God makes our truest comforts lie at home; in the exercise of our highest faculties, and as it were in secret. The heart that knoweth the bitterness of his own soul, in his joy the stranger shall not intermeddle. If we are under the right influence of godly wisdom, whether we are walking, sitting, or lying down, whether we are rich or poor, our coats coarse or fine, our dwellings large and well furnished, or mean and small, God gives us that to think upon, and cherish within, that will give joy to our souls. What can make a man miserable that can think thus well, and be so wisely disposed? Nothing will; nobody can. He may have intervening cares, and meet with bufferings of trials. The comforts of God will not shut out all anxious thoughts. They did not from some of the greatest saints of Scripture, as Abraham, David, Elijah, and Saint Paul. But if Divine comforts are understood and enjoyed by us there is not one temptation or trial, that we shall not surmount, or that shall separate us from Him. Bless God then for having brought near to you such a subject for your thoughts as Jesus Christ and His great salvation, such an object of the most elevating and holy dispositions. Dwell and meditate upon it, and you will find in your experience that as Nehemiah said, the joy of the Lord is our strength.
- text taken from Daily Bread - Bring a Few Morning Meditations for the Use of Catholic Christians by Father Richard Waldo Sibthorp