119 Days of Psalm 119
February 16, 2010 by Mike
If yo
u want to develop more passion for studying the Bible, I have a challenge for you. But first, a little back story. Back in 2000, I was at a Christian conference for college students, just after I had started following the Lord wholeheartedly. The speaker was talking about the importance of studying the Bible. To this day, I have never heard a speaker who had memorized more Scripture than that woman. She wasn’t paraphrasing. She was quoting passages word for word AND their references!
I remember sitting back and wishing I shared her passion for the Word. It reminds me of a verse I read this morning in Psalm 119.
Here’s how David described his experience with God’s Word: “I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.” (vs. 14)
How many of us can say that we have “REJOICED” in God’s Word as much as in riches?! (or friendships or good movies, etc.) There is an inexhaustible joy to be found in studying and living out God’s Word. And that conference speaker offered us college students a challenge that literally changed my life.
She said “If you want to develop more passion for the Word, read Psalm 119 every day for 119 days.” David dedicates that entire chapter to his love for and commitment to God’s Word. Other than the value of merely reading every day, the idea was to constantly expose ourselves to David’s passion, which might in turn kick-start our own love for Scripture. Thinking it was one of the shorter Psalms, I said to myself, “I’m on it!” And then I realized that it was the LONGEST Psalm, 176 verses!
But I went for it (even though I didn’t make it the full 119 days) and it’s been one of my favorite chapters in the Bible ever since. Try it and let me know what you think!
Also, if you want to learn how to study Scripture more effectively, register for our upcoming How To Study the Bible Workshop!
