In the spoken word piece “God’s Word,” Jackie Hill-Perry addresses her daily struggle with reading the Bible.
She admits there are days when laziness and excuses strive to keep her from practicing this sacred discipline. She also admits that sometimes reading takes place out of obligation without a heartfelt willingness to study.
However, the performance ends by highlighting her willingness to fight the obstacles stifling a desire to read because doing so will help her grow closer to God.
Jackie’s poem feels like a gut punch to me because even while writing this, I have not spent time in God’s word today. Ironic, yes but I hope my transparency shows I’m striving to mature in my walk with the Lord.
Why is the Word of God Important?
Scripture declares the word of God is
- Inspired by God and is useful for teaching what is true (2 Timothy 3:16).
- Correcting, teaching, and equipping God’s people to do every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).
- Eternal truth that stands forever (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35).
- Alive & active (Hebrews 4:12).
- Direction (Psalm 119:105).
- Words directly from the Lord’s mouth (Matthew 4:4).
These truths depict the Bible as instructions from God that help believers do His work and will on earth. However, one cannot know God’s will unless their hearts submit to Him.
For this reason, believers must get into the habit of reading scripture daily to keep their hearts connected to God.
Supporting Text Introduction: Psalm 119:9-16 (Beth)
Evidence from the Old Testament supporting this claim comes from Psalm 119:9-16.
Psalm 119:9-16 (also known as Beth) is the second stanza in an acrostic poem using the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Some commentators believe Beth refers to having a house and making your heart a home for God’s commands.
Psalm 119:9-10: Prayerful Obedience
Psalm 119:9-10 shows reading scripture daily helps the heart stay pure and connected to God through prayerful obedience. Prayerful obedience is crucial because the psalmist acknowledges that though he has sought after God with his whole heart, he needs His help not to go astray.
No matter how much a person strives to commune with God, the human heart tends to be fickle.
The Israelites prove this by choosing false idols over their Creator countless times in the Old Testament.
King David is known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Yet he strays when committing adultery with Bathsheba and arranging Uriah’s death (2 Samuel 11:1-27).
In the New Testament, Peter drifts after being filled with the Holy Spirit when he stops eating with Gentile converts due to fear of criticism from the Jews (Galatians 2:11-13).
Prayerful Obedience Validates Believers’ Identity
Prayerful obedience is also necessary because it validates the identity of believers.
- God requires the Israelites to obey His commandments as a sign of their commitment to Him (Deuteronomy 6:1-25).
- Jesus says real disciples follow His commands, which helps them remain in His love (John 14 15:9-15).
- 1 John 3:1-10 also says children of God obey Him by no longer making a continual practice of sin.
Psalm 119:11: Resisting Sin
Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (New International Version). Realizing he could go astray, the poet treasures God’s commands in his heart to resist sin.
This passage proves intentionally reading scripture often can help readers remain close to God by resisting sin.
Jesus demonstrates this when he recites scripture to resist Satan’s temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).
Paul endorses Jesus’s strategy when mentioning how the Bible is the Sword of the Spirit to help abiders win the battle of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:17).
The examples above offer a practical way to deal with temptation. Think about a temptation you face and meditate on verses addressing the specific sin.
For instance, when a trial tempts an individual to lose faith and feel abandoned by God, reviewing Deuteronomy 31:6 will remind them the Lord will never forsake them.
When Saints Commit Sin
When sin occurs, scripture will compel transgressors to ask for and receive forgiveness without shame.
- In Psalm 51:1-17, David repents for his transgressions and vows to teach sinners God’s ways so they can return to Him.
- 1 John 1:9 says if we confess our sins to the Lord, He’ll be faithful and just to forgive and cleanse the repentant of all unrighteousness.
Psalm 119:12-16: Remember God, the Source of Desire & Delight
Another way daily scripture reading helps Christian’s hearts remain knitted to God is by allowing Him (and His word) to become the source of their desire (verses 12-16).
The psalmist reveals his desire by offering worship, being willing to learn from, setting his thoughts on, and living how God wants (verses 12, 13, & 15).
Instead of presenting a lengthy breakdown of the Psalmist’s desires, I will focus on two keywords that stand out in this section.
Two Keywords: Delight & Forget
One word that captures my attention while examining the text is delight. The Psalmist says he delights in God’s decrees as much as all riches.
The term delight in Hebrew means hāpēṣ “to delight in, take pleasure in, desire, be pleased with.” So, the psalmist is rejoicing in the fact he finds pleasure in God’s decrees and statutes.
The psalmist mindset is admirable since in biblical times, many found satisfaction in idols, riches, social status, and academic intellect. This societal mindset persists today as people base their happiness on material goods, social media notoriety, college degrees, health, and pets.
Therefore, believers must read the Bible daily to experience a transformation where delight is found in God through His commands.
Along with delight, another word that stands out in the text is forget. I don’t think the psalmist uses the phrase “I won’t forget your word” in verse sixteen to sound good (New Revised Standard Version).
I believe he recalls the theme of Deuteronomy 8:1-20 where the Lord instructs Israel not to forget their Creator because when they do, their hearts cling to idolatry. The poet desires to retain scripture to honor God in everything he does.
Takeaway
To stay whole-heartedly connected to God, Christians must make their hearts a home for His word by reading it daily.
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