4 Helps for Our Children from Psalm 119

As I continue reading through the Bible, I’ve reached Psalm 119, which is full of wonderful truths about God’s Word.

While reading the chapter yesterday, I realized anew how much my children can benefit from studying Scripture. I highlighted four blessings that they – and I! – can receive as we read, memorize, and meditate on God’s Word.

1. Good judgment. “Teach me good judgment and knowledge; for I have believed thy commandments.” (v. 66) We all want our children to have good judgment! Teaching them God’s commands and then explaining how we can practically carry out those commands in our daily lives will help our children have perception and discernment. It’s very effective when we can relate personal stories or give examples of situations our children face and show how a Bible verse applies.

2. Light. “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple.” (v. 130) God’s Word going into our children’s minds and hearts gives light and understanding. No matter how young they are, they can begin to grasp the simple truths of the Bible, such as obeying parents and being kind to others. In our family Bible time after supper, my husband is currently going through the book of Proverbs and discussing its principles with our girls. There is so much they can learn about people, riches, our tongue, work ethic, etc.

3. Direction. “Order my steps in thy word…” (v. 133a) The older our children get, the more decisions they make on their own. Hopefully we can set an example by showing our children, on an age-appropriate basis, how we ourselves make decisions based on principles from God’s Word.

4. Victory over sin. “…and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” (v. 133b) As our children learn how to gain direction from God’s Word, they can have victory over sin. Here’s where Bible memory can come into play as we help them learn verses that combat a sin with which they’re struggling.

Here are some past posts with helpful ideas related to this topic.

7 Tips for Teaching God’s Word to Our Children

6 Ways to Expose Our Children to God’s Word

10 Ways to Help Your Child Memorize Scripture

3 Tips for Having an Effective Family Bible Time

In what other ways can God’s Word be a help to our children?