The Word of God is my anchor. It tethers my mind to the truth when the lies of the enemy are readily available. It wraps me with security when my future is uncertain. It pulls me back into the presence of God when I’ve sought the company of lesser pursuits.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know who I’d be apart from the Lord and His Word. Probably riding the raging rapids of doubt, despair, and discouragement, unable to lift myself from the frenzy of darkness. But with God there is hope. And in His Word, I find encouragement, peace, and satisfaction. I find solid ground to stand on.
If only the world could grasp the benefits available to the soul who seeks God through His Word—willing to see it as truth, clinging to it at every turn. For the Word of God is life-changing and life-sustaining and life-giving. And it’s so much more, as the author of Psalm 119 ESV testifies. The psalmist offers us numerous reasons to run to the comfort of Scripture and never turn away from it.
Twenty Benefits of Being in God’s Word
1. It leads to joy.
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart. (v. 2)
The NLT translates the word blessed as joyful. The word can also be translated happy. Knowing and seeking God through His Word is a joy-filling activity, and who among us doesn’t need some joy?
2. It can keep us from sinning.
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word. (v. 9)
God’s Word is like a trained guard put in place to keep the peace. When we use it accordingly, it can keep us from straying, but when we ignore it we have little hope of not wandering.
3. It offers free counseling.
Your testimonies are my delight;
they are my counselors. (v. 24)
How many times have I needed advice? Lots. How many times have I needed perspective? Too many to count. God’s Word is the best kind of counselor.
4. It guards against the trap of self-seeking.
Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain! (v. 36)
Why is this so important? Because self-seeking is a trap. It does not lead to the fulfillment it promises, but to a pervasive emptiness. Yet to pursue God above our own interests is to find the gratification we’re really looking for.
5. It gives us hope.
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
for my hope is in your rules. (v. 43)
We have hope in God’s rules not because they are restrictive, but because they are redemptive. Where God commands He also promises. Where God gives little room for wavering He makes great space for blessing.
6. It grants us freedom.
And I shall walk in a wide place,
for I have sought your precepts. (v. 45)
True freedom is not found in living however I want. True freedom is found through living in right relation to God. God’s commandments provide the boundaries for doing so.
7. It brings comfort in affliction.
This is my comfort in my affliction,
that your promise gives me life. (v. 50)
No matter the circumstances the Word of God offers relief when nothing else can. His promises are true and stand firm through every situation.
8. It gives us something to sing about.
Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my sojourning. (v. 54)
When is it that we tend to sing? When we’re happy, right? As we make our way through life, the assurance of God’s Word and His faithfulness to it fills us with joy. This gives us much cause to sing.
9. It’s an anchor of truth amid a sea of lies.
The insolent smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts. (v. 69)
The psalmist goes on to say, “The sum of your word is truth” (v. 160). No matter what, God’s Word is always true and able to keep us from falling for the vast and persuasive lies of the devil.
10. It allows us to be an example to others.
Let those who fear you turn to me,
that they may know your testimonies. (v. 79)
How many of us feel confident in our ability to lead others? Maybe some. When we live according to God’s Word we can be sure of our ability to lead rightly—especially when teaching our children.
11. It offers us hope while we wait.
My soul longs for your salvation;
I hope in your word. (v. 81)
Waiting is equal partners with faith and an inevitable part of life. But while we wait, it’s God’s Word that offers us hope.
12. It sustains us during hard seasons.
If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction. (v. 92)
Have you ever felt so down and out you didn’t think you could go on? So did the psalmist, yet the Word of God sustained him even in the hardest of moments.
13. It is life-giving.
I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have given me life. (v. 93)
I once was lost, but now I’m found. I once was dead, but now I’m alive. How? The Word of God and the Spirit of God working powerfully in me.
14. It gives wisdom and understanding.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation. (v. 99)
There is no wisdom apart from God. In Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). To know the Word is to know Christ, and to know Christ is to know God, and to know God is to know wisdom.
15. It lights the path we should take.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path. (v. 105)
Are you unsure about which way to go? The Word is a light to the right path. This path will always lead to God and not away; it will lead toward righteousness and not toward sin.
16. It keeps us from falling into the enemy’s traps.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts. (v. 110)
Navigating difficult people can be, well, difficult. But God’s Word lends us the proper course to keep us upright.
17. It acts as a shield around us.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word. (v. 114)
God’s Word is our defense, for it will never fail us. God’s Word is a refuge, for it will never leave us. There is one place we can always hide when the enemy comes calling: God’s faithfulness to His Word.
18. It helps us know the character of God.
Righteous are you, O LORD,
and right are your rules. (v. 137)
The Word reveals who God is and what He has done. Apart from the Word we’d never know Him and His righteousness.
19. It’s how we experience the faithfulness of God.
Your promise is well tried,
and your servant loves it. (v. 140)
If we don’t know what God says, how will we know that He’s faithful? And if we don’t trust Him to fulfill His Word, how will we ever notice His providence? Knowing and trusting in God’s Word is experiencing His peace-filled, steadfast, constant deliverance.
20. It gives us peace.
Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing can make them stumble. (v. 165)
God made our souls to live in accordance with Him and His Word. So when we don’t, something feels off. But when we make God’s Word our priority, we find a refuge of peace.
Precious friend, we have no reason not to sink ourselves deep into the Word of God and every reason to do it right now. Don’t wait. Let the Word of God be the daily mediation of your heart so that you too can know the life-giving, life-sustaining, joy-filling, peace-providing abundance of God’s Word.
Join the Discussion