“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
(Psalm 119:103)
In much the same way as a newborn baby hungers for mother’s milk, a true child of God hungers for God’s Word (Matt. 5:6, Isa. 55:1, Ps. 42:2, John 7:37). Mother’s milk supplies all the nurturance and nutrients necessary for that baby to grow and develop and gain strength. So it is with God’s Word. Everything we need to grow and develop and gain spiritual strength can be found in His Word, and it is our duty as His children to study His Word that we may grow thereby.
Some may think that studying God’s Word is the duty of pastors alone. “Isn’t that something pastors are supposed to do for us?” Pastors are certainly charged with the responsibility to rightly teach and explain God’s Word to their local congregation, but all believers are to study the Scripture (Prov. 4:10-13, Joshua 1:8) as it is the only source by which we gain knowledge and a deeper understanding of God and His Christ.
God’s Word is to be read in public (Deut. 31:11-12; Col. 4:16; Luke 4:16; Neh. 8:6) as well as in private (Col. 3:16). And we are commanded to do so (Deut. 17:18; Josh. 1:8; Rev. 1:3; James 1:23-24; Acts 8:30; 17:11) as demonstrated by many examples (2 Kings 22:8; Acts 8:30; 17:11).
We should approach God in His Word with reverent stillness, so that we hear what He wants to say to us (Deut. 6:6) with understanding (Matt. 13:19; Acts 8:30). In doing so, we find delight in His law (Ps. 1:2) because we receive His truth with all willingness (Acts 17:11), and with joy concerning its promises, sadness concerning its judgments, and godly fear concerning its warnings (Isa. 66:2; 2 Kings 22:11, 19).
As we grow in our understanding of God and our spiritual eyes are opened more and more, we find that His Word is excellent, as gold that is most pure (Ps. 19:10). It is sweet like honey to the Christian (Ps. 19:10). It is effective for providing everything we need for life and godliness, and sufficient for conversion of the soul to God (Ps. 19:7; 1 Peter 1:23).
Meet God daily in His Word, and you will soon discover the sweetness of both His law and His love as you grow in your adoration of Him.
- Lord, help me hear the Word of God well and with profit. Help me have a soul prepared to hear You speak, for the fruitfulness of hearing greatly depends on this (Ps. 81:11). I desire a reverence for and devotion to Your Word, so that by meditating on it I may see You more clearly (Eccl. 5:2).
- Lord, I pray that You would help me remove from my mind the prejudices and other vices by which the harvest of the Word is obstructed (1 Peter 2:1; James 1:21). Likewise, take away all anxieties and worldly thoughts that I might read Your Word well.
- Lord, do I have an appetite to hear the Word, do I “long for it,” as Peter commands me (1 Peter 2:2; cf. Ps. 119:40)? Do I receive “the Word with all eagerness” (Acts 17:11)? Help me realize that when I read and study and contemplate Scripture I am also learning at the feet of Christ, for He is the Living Word (John 6:68; Acts 5:20).
- Lord, I know that there are many aspects of Your Word that are hard to hear. Help me willingly receive whatever You reveal to me, whether it is a warning or a promise (Jer. 42:5-6; Ps. 119:6; Acts 10:33; Ex. 24:7). Cause me to pray earnestly, that I might hear it well, and that it might prove to be saving for me (Ps. 25:4-5; 119:4-5).
- Lord, as I hear Your Word preached, as I take it into my soul and heart, help me have an attentive mind (Prov. 2:2), following the example of Lydia (Acts 16:14), Mary (Luke 10:39), and the crowd (Acts 8:6). Help me to inquire of it (Isa. 58:2) and examine it (Rom. 12:2). I want to observe well the Scriptures (Ps. 119:6, 106), with faith (John 5:24; Heb. 4:2; Isa. 53:1). Help me hide Your Word in my heart, for it is able to save my soul. Help me live in expectation of Your promises, enjoying the abundant life You’ve freely given through Jesus Christ (John 5:39; Ps. 130:5).
Further References for Psalm 119:103
Ps. 19:10; Job 23:12; Prov. 24:13; Deut. 8:3; Ezek. 3:3; Matt. 4:4
