by Hannah Clements
I am secretly a lover of fun facts. Here are a few fun facts about the Word of God (from this neat website):
1. Over 100 million copies of the Bible are sold each year. In fact, it is the best-selling book in history.
2. The full Bible has been translated into 532 languages. It has been partially translated into 2,883 languages.
3. The longest word in the Bible is “Mahershalalhashbaz" (Isaiah 8:3). (Try saying that out loud three times fast.)
4. The top 3 highlighted books of all time on Kindle are 1) The Holy Bible by Crossway Bibles, 2) Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and 3) The Hunger Games.
5. The Bible is the most commonly stolen book in the world, most likely because it is so available in hotel rooms and places of worship.
Fun huh? Here are some scriptural facts to go along with these above.
1. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16
2. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
All that to say, the Bible is pretty precious, a precious tool. For many of us, it is easily accessible – as easy as a click of a button on our phones or a quick look on the bookshelf. In my house, we own at least 6 Bibles. Often times, our access to the scriptures is taken for granted. For just a second, stop to remember that the Bible is not readily accessible in many countries around the world. If fact, owning a Bible can result in prison-time, torture, and even death. Many people search and wait for years to own a portion of the Bible. This is not meant to guilt you or I in to reading, but to remind you of the precious gift you have access to.
Psalm 119 is a beautiful reminder of how precious scripture is. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It is scripture about scripture. More fun facts: Psalm 119 is divided in to 22 sections. Each section starting with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119 was written to be sung and memorized in its entirety (whoa!). Psalm 119 continually proclaims the reverence and sovereignty of the Word of God. IT IS VALUABLE TO US (Psalm 119:72). At some point today, grab yourself a cup of coffee, tea or your drink of choice and settle in for the reading of Psalm 119.
In your reading you will find:
· Following God’s Word leads to Joy (119:1&2)
· Knowing God’s Word helps us to obey (119:11&61)
· God’s Word gives wisdom (119:24&98)
· God’s Word revives and encourages us at our lowest (119:25,28 &50)
· Hope (119:43&114)
· Through His Word you will find Freedom (119:45)
· Comfort in all our troubles (119:50&52)
· His Word remains true (119:91, 151 &160)
· Sweetness (119:103)
· Guidance and light (119:105&130, 133)
· Treasure (119:111&162)
· A hiding place (119:114)
· Loving God’s Word leads to peace (119:165)
Psalm 119 is full of praise for the scriptures and prayers for understanding, and prayers that God would give eagerness to read the scriptures. I don’t know about you, but Psalm 119 makes me want to go dust off the ol’ Bible. (I am sure I am not the only one whose Bible has ever been a little dusty). Psalm 119 points to the reviving power of the scriptures. The writer of these psalms knows the power of God’s Word yet the writer still has to pray that God would give an eagerness to read, that God would help the writer obey the instructions, and that there would be understanding when reading the Word. Maybe you can relate. Has your Bible been a little dusty lately? Have you lost your eagerness to read and study? Have you ever felt like you don’t understand what you are reading? You are in good company. Don’t be ashamed of these things. Rather admit that you could use some help (can’t we all) and join the writer of these psalms in praying for an eagerness to read and understand.
Not only has reading the Word been on my heart, but so has the prompting to memorize scripture. I have John 3:16 on lock, but I could certainly spend a little more time committing some others to memory. The recall of scripture to our minds is such a powerful tool to use against worry, anxiety, and any negative thoughts. Memorized scripture also serves as powerful prayers over our circumstances or over our loved ones. I challenge us to spend more time in the Bible and more time memorizing scripture. Isaiah 55:11 says that His word always produces fruit. Our reading and memorization will be fruitful.
Dear Lord,
We praise you for your Word. It is a gift to us. You Word is true. It is sweet. And It brings hope, freedom, peace and joy. God give us a desire to read and follow your Word. Help us to understand it, to know it and to share it.
Amen.
To put these things in to practice, I wanted to share a few resources with you:
For going deeper in Psalm 119 – A church of several of my dear friends, Exodus Church in Belmont, NC, is going through Psalm 119. Tune in to hear sermons here -https://theexoduschurch.org/
Also from Exodus Church – Psalm 119 in Music form! Click here for a FREE download - https://theexoduschurch.org/
(Beautiful) Resources for putting scripture to memory here – https://shop.wellwateredwomen.
I recently picked up the “Open Your Bible” study by Rachel Myers and Amanda Bible Willams of She Reads Truth because I needed a little accountability and direction lately in opening my Bible. I am really liking it so far and think you will to. - https://www.lifeway.com/en/
Finally, I crafted a set of 6 watercolor verse cards from Psalms. I want to give them away to one of you. Use them to memorize scripture, post them around your house, or mail one to a friend for encouragement. Enter to win by subscribing to Create In Us Collective! Over on the right enter your e-mail address under the Join Our Tribe section. (If you're on your phone scroll to the bottom and click "view in web browser"). Our winner will be announced on the blog next week!
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