Read: Psalm 119:10-16

In Psalm 119 the Psalmist writes… “I have hidden your word in my heart.”  He also writes, “I will study your teachings and follow your footsteps.  I delight in your promises; I will not neglect your word.”  God’s Word, The Bible, is such a wonderful source of hope and encouragement in our lives.  It needs to be our go to source when life is good and especially when life is hard and difficult.  A recent article by Adam Macinnis titled “When covid-19 hurts, the Bible brings hope” in Christianity Today magazine confirms this with reference to a recent survey.

Macinnis writes, “In times of trial and trouble, many Americans turn to the Bible for encouragement.  And with good reason, according to a new study.  In the middle of a global pandemic, a contentious election, and social unrest, the American Bible Society found a strong correlation between Scripture reading and hope.  Frequent Bible readers rated themselves 33 points more hopeful than irregular Scripture readers did in two surveys of more than 1,000 people done six months apart.  The study also found  that people are more hopeful when they read Scripture more frequently.  On a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the most hopeful, Americans who report reading the Bible three or four times per year scored 42; people who read monthly scored 59; weekly, 66; and multiple times per week, 75.”

Many people are searching for hope and encouragement these days.  God’s Word, The Bible, is where we can find it.  When was the last time you opened up your Bible and allowed God to enter into your life through God’s hope, encouragement, and promises found in the Word?  Don’t close yourself off from the greatest source of hope we have, open up the Bible and read or open up your Bible app and listen to the words being read. This is where you find the hope and encouragement you need.

Make it Personal:  How many Bibles do you have in your home?  How often do they get opened?  Another comment that was made in this article was that people who attend church and read their Bibles on a regular basis tend to be happier and have a greater sense of purpose in their lives.  If you are looking for hope and encouragement those are two great places to start.