Very often, we read Scripture with a very generalized view. By that, I mean that we don’t live as if God’s Word is really living and active in our lives. In this passage from Psalm 119, the psalmist shows just how important Scripture is in his own life. Take a look at the first half in Psalm 119:93-96:

I fall into that camp all too often myself. I read through a passage of Scripture and fail to see the relevance to my own life. Sometimes, it’s because I am rushing through the reading, so I can get on with other aspects of my day. Other times, my mind is too distracted by something else. And still other times, I simply fail to trust that God’s Word will give me the strength I need to make it through the day.

Throughout Psalm 119, the writer has not done any of those things. He has had some low points in his life, where his enemies are attacking him, and where he almost seems to wish that his life were over, despairing to the utmost. But never, not once, does he give up on God’s Word as a source of the strength and power that sustains him through all of his trails and the events of his life.

In this stanza, the psalmist seems to have turned a corner, and the worst is behind him. From here, the tone of Psalm 119 will be much more uplifting. And here, in this passage, the writer tells us why. He gives us three things that God has given to him – and to us – through his Word.

God’s Word Provides Rescue – Verse 92

This verse is in last week’s passage, but let’s carry it over to this week as well. Over the previous stanzas, the central theme was affliction and persecution. But notice what the author says here. In the midst of his affliction, what was it that brought him through it securely? He says, “If your law had not been my delight…” In other words, it was his lifelong habit of spending time in the pages of God’s Word that carried him through. Those passages that he read, that he reflected upon, that he meditated on, that he had memorized, those are what carried him through his affliction.

All too often, we cry out to God, asking for his help, and then we stop there, expecting God just to step in and do something. But the psalmist makes it clear that we have a part to play in this as well. While we might not be able to do much, we can and should do what we are able to do, read and study the Word of God. What the writer of Psalm 119 knew, and what we must recognize, is that God is powerful, and he is the one who will do what is necessary. But he works in certain pathways most often, and those pathways are usually centered around a solid habit of staying deeply connected to Scripture. So, in effect, God’s Word provides rescue. Cling to it, all of it, because you never know what passage you might need during those tough times.

God’s Word Provides Renewal – Verse 93

At first glance, verse 93 seems like a repeat of verse 92, as do verses 94 and 95. And while these verses are parallel ways of stating the same thing, each one does so in it’s own unique way. And verse 93, in which the NIV uses the word “preserved,” carries the idea of renewal.

This is not a new theme in Psalm 119. The author has used it multiple times through the psalm up to this point, and will continue to cry out for renewal in the stanzas to come. The difference here is that the psalmist is not praying for renewal in this passage. Rather, he is stating that God has granted him that renewal already!

Notice what the psalmist says here: God’s precepts, his Word, is what has provided that renewal. We must seek that same renewal from the pages of God’s Word, and it only comes through a diligent, daily commitment to ingesting Scripture into our life.

God’s Word Provides Salvation – Verses 94-95

In this particular case, the psalmist states that God’s Word has saved him from his enemies. These were the ones who were responsible for persecuting him, causing his affliction from the previous stanzas. But there is more to it than just that. This is more of an ongoing request. The writer knows that God has saved him; what he asks now is that God continue to save him. This is a constant need we face.

We need God’s salvation, which is an expression of his grace, daily. Without it, we would fail and perish immediately. It is only because God is in the act of saving, continuously, that we can rest assured in his hope. To be certain, God accomplished the means of our salvation at the cross, in a one time event. But the act of working out or salvation is also a present activity, in which the Holy Spirit grows us to be more holy and righteous in our day to day lives. How is this accomplished? Through the work of the written word, by which we invest in with our lives daily.

I find it interesting to see how the writer sums up this stanza. In verse 96, he writes that perfection has a limit, but God’s Word does not! What a rock upon which we stand! With such an incredible and powerful tool at our disposal, why wouldn’t we do all we can to take advantage of this?

The psalmist declares the living and active nature of God’s Word here, and shows us just what it can do. Now, I encourage you to go dig into it for yourself, and see these truths for yourself.

Question: What do you love most about God’s Word? How has it displayed a living and active nature in your own life? You can leave a comment by clicking here.