Psalm 19 New American Standard Bible
The Works and the Word of God.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
19 The heavens tell of the glory of God;
And their expanse declares the work of His hands.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their [a]line has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
5 Which is like a groom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices like a strong person to run his course.
6 Its rising is from [b]one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the [c]other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The Law of the Lord is [d]perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold;
Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, Your servant is warned by them;
In keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
13 Also keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be innocent,
And I will be blameless of great wrongdoing.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
What should motivate us to read the Bible?
Reminding ourselves of the benefits of reading the Bible may help us to make it a priority in our lives.
In this post, I discuss the beauty of God’s Word, based on Psalm 19:7-11.
Today I’ll visit verses 7 and 8 to identify four important benefits we receive when we read the Scripture (based on the NIV Bible).
1. God’s Word refreshes the soul (v7).
The idea here is “being brought back.”
If we are not actively seeking God, we will drift away from Him, leading to a spiritual drought.
As we become more focused on the world around us and less on spiritual things, God may feel far away.
Our prayers may not seem effective.
However, as we spend more time in God’s Word, our focus will return to God, and our souls will be fed.
Our relationship with God will be renewed.
James 1:5-7 New International Version
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
2. God’s Word makes the simple wise (v7).
Who couldn’t use more wisdom?
Sometimes we all have questions about marriage, parenting, or just life in general. We may read self-help books, ask our friends for advice, or attend seminars or conferences, hoping to have our questions answered.
However, the Bible seems to be the last place we go.
There’s nothing wrong with books or our friend’s advice, as long as they point us to the Bible.
God has given us the answers to all of life’s important questions in His Word (2 Peter 1:3).
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
3. God’s Word gives joy to the heart (v8).
Sometimes, joy may be lacking in our lives, due to the pressures and demands of life.
We may be in a particularly hard or sorrowful time.
However, we are commanded to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4).
We are to be joyful no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.
That is really hard to do when we are not spending enough time in God’s Word.
As we read God’s promises in the Bible, we can find many reasons for joy.
You can find a list of 10 Bible promises to bring you joy here.
4. God’s Word gives light to the eyes (v8).
Have you ever stumbled your way through a dark room, only to trip or bump into something?
A light is extremely useful in the darkness.
It lets us see clearly what is around us and it keeps us safe.
The Bible does this for us as we try to stumble our way through the dark world.
Only in the light (John 8:12) of the truth of Scripture can we see the sinful world as it really is. If we obey God’s commands, we will stay safe on the right path.
With benefits like these we can’t afford not to spend time in God’s Word.
Reading our Bible regularly keeps us close to God.
It also gives us wisdom, joy, and guidance.
I know my days are far better when I’m consistently spending time with God.
Whether you read it in a book or on your phone, an iPad, whether you listen to it on an app, whether you read a lot or a little—any time, every time you do spend in God’s Word will absolutely benefit you, and in turn, benefit those around us.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 New International Version
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Will you covenant with God, making the reading and studying and praying and application of God’s Word an absolute priority in your day, every single day?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God, the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
Psalm 119:9-16 Complete Jewish Bible
ב (Bet)
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
don’t let me stray from your mitzvot.
11 I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I won’t sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, Adonai!
Teach me your laws.
13 I proclaim with my mouth
all the rulings you have spoken.
14 I rejoice in the way of your instruction
more than in any kind of wealth.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and keep my eyes on your ways.
16 I will find my delight in your regulations.
I will not forget your word.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 