Have you ever noticed sometimes when you are a bit down that just a few words from a friend can lift you up and get you going? That is exactly what God’s Word promises to do. Apostle Paul says that there would not be believers unless they had first heard the Word of God. They would not have heard unless someone had gone and spoken to them. He concluded that faith, therefore, comes through hearing the Word of God.[Romans 10:17]
When we spend time reading God’s Word, it speaks to us. Jesus said, “The words I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life.”[John 6:63] Hebrews says, “The word of God is quick (alive) and powerful.”[Hebrews 4:12] Words are real things. They are spiritual entities which either lift up or drag down. Proverbs declares, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”[Proverbs 18:21]
But meditating and reading God’s Word promises to have a good affect on our lives. Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, who meditates therein day and night. For he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season and whatsoever he does shall prosper.”[Psalm 1:1-4]
Scientific studies have shown that a diet of daily Bible reading actually affects our brain’s nerve cells making them healthier.[1] Reading God’s Word helps us to be more positive, more loving, patient, and understanding. It casts out fear and worry which are the main causes of stress and inhibitors of good health.
In fact the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, dwells on the importance of reading and meditating on God’s Word. Here’s what it claims God’s word will do for you.
The Word cleanses our path.[v9] It helps us not to sin.[v11] It gives us answers to give to others.[v42] It gives us comfort.[v54] It’s better than wealth.[v72] It keeps us from getting discouraged.[v92] It makes us wiser than our enemies.[v98] It makes us smarter than our teachers.[v99] It is a lamp unto our feet.[v105] It gives light and understanding.[v130] It is pure.[v140] It is true.[v160] It is a help in persecution.[v161] It gives us peace.[v165]
If we could buy a medicine or a food that would promise to give us all those qualities, we would be willing to pay good money, if indeed the promises were true. But God’s promises are true. Like Joshua told Israel, “Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you: all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing has failed thereof.”[Joshua 21:45]
Joshua had previously said, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shall meditate therein day and night that thou may observe to do all that is written therein, for then shall thou make thy way prosperous and then shall thou have good success.”[Joshua 1:8] Surely the affects of reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on God’s Word for generations may be the reason the Jewish people are head and shoulders above their brethren in everything they do. All those years of guarding God’s Word in their hearts actually made them smarter and more talented than others.
God’s Word is waters to swim in. Please do not neglect it. It promises to give us life and light and power and love and everything we need in today’s busy world. It is food for our souls and will give us strength for the battle. Our faith will grow as we read, study, and obey its teachings. God will bless us as we meditate upon His Word.
Originally published October 23, 2013.
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