Good morning, Church. My name is Antone, and I serve as one of the elders here at North Hills. I’m speaking to you today because I have a burden for you, something I do not want you to miss, and I want to introduce it like this:
Years ago, I was able to drive through Yellowstone National Park and see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. I hiked up to what is called Artist Point and still recall the emotion that I felt when I came onto the overlook. I was honestly speechless.
Straight ahead was this massive 300-foot waterfall that was splashing into the river below. As I looked up above the waterfall, there was a sea of green— spruce, fir, and pine trees everywhere. To the left and to the right were the canyon walls, carved out of volcanic rock by the Yellowstone River. The river was this churning mix of dark blue and white as it came in my direction. Each feature added its own unique beauty that made me appreciate how breathtaking this vista was for me.
I want you to remember two words this morning: The first is “vista,” the broad scenic overview, and the second is “feature,” what gives beauty and value to the vista. More than any other passage of scripture, Psalm 119 helps us understand something that we must not miss: God’s Word is like a breathtaking vista, but we must engage the features of God’s Word, or we’ll miss the point of the vista.
My burden this morning can be summed up in a question, and the question is this: How can you better engage God’s word for the purposes that he intended for you? Let’s pray together before we begin.
Father, would you open our eyes to see the beauty and majesty and encouragement that is in this Psalm today? We pray this, Lord, in Jesus’s name, amen.
As I relate with more of you in our church body, it is clear that many are walking through some deep and challenging valleys. What is also becoming very clear is that, without a biblical rudder to steer and a gospel anchor for stability, the odds of your ship going onto the rocks are inevitable.
Today’s message is not really meant to produce new insights; rather, the message is a call for us, a call to renewed obedience, to give you the joy and stability that you will not find elsewhere. Friends, I want you to be convinced in your heart and mind that God’s inspired word can address what you are going through right now, that it has something to say to you about what you’re facing, and that it is powerful enough to change the affections of your heart and provide a light for your dark path. But you must engage the truths of Scripture for the purposes that he intended for you.
There have been noted seasons in my life where God has used a passage of Scripture so dramatically in my thinking that it becomes like a dear friend. Psalm 119 has been that kind of chapter for me. 2025 was a very challenging year for me, and I’ve listened to or read this psalm dozens and dozens of times. It continues to energize and to reframe my thinking. It’s making me realize that I have something way more amazing in God’s word than I originally thought.
Here’s where we’re headed this morning. I have three questions that I would like to answer:
Before we begin, it would be helpful to understand a bit of the context of Psalm 119. We’re not told who wrote this psalm, but many would believe it was King David. It is unique in a few different ways:
It’s the longest chapter in the Bible, with 176 verses. These verses are divided into 22 sections, each containing eight verses. The psalmist also structured it around the Hebrew alphabet, with every verse in a given section beginning with the same Hebrew letter. For example, the first eight verses all begin with the first Hebrew letter, aleph, while the last eight verses all begin with the last Hebrew letter, tav. Another standout is how the author refers to the Word of God.
Earlier, I described the vista that I saw at Yellowstone at Artist Point. Do you recall the features that I described? The waterfall, the trees, the cut canyon walls… Now let’s read some of the features that the psalmist describes that add beauty and value to the vista of Scripture.
He says the Scriptures are God’s word, his communication with us that allows us to know him personally and intimately. The Scriptures are God’s law, his instruction, giving us direction in our life. The Scriptures are his testimonies, his witness about himself that builds a deep and abiding relationship in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures are his precepts, God’s detailed guidance that help us with our daily decisions. The Scriptures are his statutes, God’s unchanging standards that provide stability for our lives. The Scriptures are God’s commandments, his authoritative orders that call us to align with his standards in order to have lasting joy in our lives. The Scriptures are his rules and his judgments. They are God’s verdict over right and wrong, giving us a most secure moral compass. Finally, the Scriptures are God’s promises, his commitments to his people that produce comfort and hope for his sons and his daughters.
But what I think I love most is the deep affection that the psalmist expresses for the Word of God. It’s such beautiful imagery. Listen in:
Feel the emotional connection that the words of Scripture have on this psalmist. He was convinced that God’s law, his testimonies about himself, were the greatest treasures among all treasures and absolutely delightful to experience.
I think what I’m looking to do today is to hand off beauty to you, like I was handing you a gold coin of the purest gold or giving you a jar of the sweetest honey that you’ve ever tasted.
As I talk with my brothers and sisters at North Hills, it’s becoming more and more common for me to hear about overwhelming needs in a life. Perhaps one of these resonates with you today:
“I am really in need of some wisdom and understanding of my life.”
“My thoughts are so anxious.”
“I desperately need peace and do not know how to find it.”
“I feel discouraged and depressed.”
“Is there deliverance for me?”
“My family is so in need of hope right now.”
“I’m going through such a confusing season in my life.”
“I could really use some guidance and counsel.”
“My suffering feels too great for me. I need strength.”
“My pain in my heart is overwhelming. I do not know what I’m going to do if I don’t find some genuine comfort.”
You might say to one or more of these, “Yeah, that’s me.” But of more importance is where you are looking for the answers to these problems. My heart this morning is that the Holy Spirit uses this psalm to rekindle how you think about what is contained in the pages of Scripture, that God’s word brings life, wisdom, joy, stability, comfort, hope, and intimacy with God to those who treasure it and obey it.
A little over two years ago, over Easter weekend, I had the chance to backpack the entire length of the Foothills Trail with some buddies of mine. The trail is 76 miles long and weaves in and out of the Carolinas, with one entrance at Table Rock State Park and the other at Oconee State Park.
It is a gorgeous trail. We hiked the trail in four days, meaning it was going to be a stretch for a guy like me who was an office worker. We hiked over 20 miles that first day. There were such difficult sections on the trail that there were a few times I thought I might be seeing Jesus that day.
Toward the end of day one, it was getting late, and the sun was going down. I remember we were going down a very steep descent with stairs that had been built into the side of the mountain. I was physically spent. My knees and my feet were aching. I had this feeling of absolute exhaustion come over me.
I told my friends that I was beginning to feel a little light-headed and needed to take a break. I sat down on one of the steps, and next thing my friends knew, I had passed out. I was not out long, but one of my friends was concerned enough that he thought I might have to be life-flighted off the trail.
As soon as I came to, I knew what the issue was: I had no fuel in me. I needed protein. I’d eaten meals that day, but I’d not been refueling myself along the trail. I’d been drinking a lot of water, but I was not feeling hungry. It became obvious that I did not have the necessary calories to support the level of output that I was needing. I was so grateful for how my friends stepped in, assessed the situation, and took good care of me.
In hearing this story, you might ask, “Antone, did you not have enough food with you?” No, I did. It was in my pack. “Well,” you may ask, “Did you just forget to eat?” No, it just did not seem like a need in the moment. I felt like I was okay. Or you might wonder, “Okay, so was the type of food you brought not sufficient for the trail?” No, I brought what was recommended and had plenty for the trip.
The problem wasn’t that I didn’t have food or didn’t pack the right food. The problem was that I underestimated how my food could help me in that moment of need. Simply put, I was not using my food for the purposes that it was intended for me.
The lesson I learned on the Foothills Trail was that I couldn’t wait until I felt weak to start refueling my body, or even because I had to. I needed a steady intake of calories to sustain what the trail was asking of me.
The author of Psalm 119 reminds us over and over that God’s Word is not merely emergency rations for times of crisis in our life. That is not God’s purpose for how to engage his scriptures. The psalmist returns again and again to God’s Word because he has discovered that it contains everything needed for wisdom, strength, hope, peace, comfort, and joy.
I believe it’s a dangerous mindset to view the Bible as one voice among many voices. The result is that we underestimate how the word of God can address what we’re going through right now. What if the wisdom, peace, encouragement, hope, stability, understanding, and comfort that we’re looking for is readily available within the pages of Scripture? Psalm 119 argues that God’s word is exactly that.
In reading and listening to Psalm 119, what began to stand out to me were all the instances in which the author says something like, “Your words are this to me,” or “your commands do this for me.” Listen to how this chapter begins:
“How happy [and deeply satisfied] are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the Lord’s instruction! Happy [and deeply satisfied] are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they follow His ways” (Psalm 119:1-3).
So let’s begin to answer our original question: How can you better engage God’s Word for the purposes that he intended for you? Let’s talk about some of the beautiful features that God has intended in this vista called his Word.
1. God’s Word provides you with needed wisdom and understanding for relationships or situations.
Listen to verse 98:
“Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me” (Psalm 119:98).
Verse 130 tells us the unfolding of his words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. God’s Word gives us the ability to separate and then distinguish our thoughts when we feel paralyzed or unsure by a situation. We can be assured that lacking insight does not disqualify us from receiving wisdom from God’s Word. Actually, not having insight is exactly what qualifies us. God tells us that his truth about himself will meet us where we’re at, offering us direction and the ability to move forward by faith with confidence.
2. God’s Word overcomes your anxious thoughts.
The author reminds, in verse 114,
“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:114).
And rest in this, verse 165:
“Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165).
If you’re a believer in Jesus, God is not only your protective presence, but Scripture itself is also your refuge. In fact, we’re assured that much shalom (or peace) comes to those who love God’s instruction. Shalom is our quiet, our tranquility, our completeness, our soundness in the midst of feeling anxious. It’s peace with God because of his covenantal love with us.
Anxious thoughts can make us stumble. They divert our attention away from God, and we become fixated on what we cannot control. But the Word of God gives us stability in the midst of feeling anxious that transforms our mind to be fixated upon the largeness of our God.
3. God’s Word helps you in your discouragement.
Be encouraged, the author also relates to your discouragement. He writes in verse 25,
“My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to Your word” (Psalm 119:25).
Verse 107 offers a similar thought:
“I am severely afflicted; give me a life, O Lord, according to Your word” (Psalm 119:107).
The author is being vulnerable when he laments, “My soul claims to the dust” or “I am severely afflicted.” He’s admitting he feels crushed. He feels beaten down. To be severely afflicted can also include being depressed or downcast.
If you’re feeling deadness in your soul today because of discouragement, please note the equal sign. God’s word equals life. Hear this, friends: The very word of God renews thinking in your discouragement. It refreshes your heart to keep trusting God. Being given life means the Word reaches into your discouraged condition and awakens you to hope, purpose, and renewed communion with your God.
4. God’s Word anchors your hope.
The author is honest about his life, and he cries out to God in verse 114,
“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:114).
Have you had unmet expectations that have caused you to lose hope? The author has as well, and he says, in verse 147,
“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:147).
God’s Word does not merely provide you with wishful thinking on how you would like things to be. It’s a deep trust that God will fulfill his promises that he has given to you in his Word. It means you’re anchoring your trust and expectation in Scripture as your reliable foundation.
When circumstances say you are alone, God’s Word says, “I will never leave you.” When circumstances say there’s no way through this, God’s Word says, “I am your refuge and shield.” When circumstances say God has forgotten you, God’s Word promises, “I love you with a covenantal love.” It means I can confidently expect God to act because he has spoken.
5. God’s Word provides you with reliable counsel and guidance.
We’re given strong words of dependence on God’s law from verse 24 (“Your testimonies are my delight. They are my counselors”) and verse 105 beautifully describes how God’s Law operates for us:
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
The psalmist is not consulting God’s Word for informational purposes, like scrolling through the latest social post or the influencer of his day. Rather, he’s relying on the testimonies about his God for advice regarding direction in his life.
Scripture does not just offer advice without also helping us understand God’s plan or his intention, his glory, and our looking more like Jesus, our Redeemer and our King. But not only that, God’s Word acts like a lamp and a light, giving us enough clarity to take the next step forward. He does not show all of the path ahead. In his gracious mercy and kindness, he gives us just what we need to take that next step. And once that step is taken, he’s right there for the next.
Paul Tripp makes a helpful observation. He says,
“Because we live in 10,000 little moments of decision, it’s so comforting to know that God’s Word operates as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.”
When we study the scriptures, we’re unlocking a spiritual GPS that helps us navigate our moments of decision in the conversations, the situations, locations, and relationships of life.
6. God’s Word provides strength and endurance in your suffering.
If you are weeping with sorrow today, or your situation feels overwhelming, listen to the psalmist in verse 28:
“My soul melts for sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word” (Psalm 119:28).
In this verse, the psalmist is not just sad, he’s falling apart internally. But notice that strength is asked for in relationship to what he knows about his Father, God’s testimonies. It’s like the writer is saying, “Lord, I’m emotionally collapsing. You make me stable again and fix my heart and focus on your words so I don’t drift.”
For the psalmist, stability in his sorrow came from fixing his eyes on God’s truth. It allowed him to persevere through trials, resist temptation, and be able to move forward. There’s further encouragement offered in verse 92:
“If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction” (Psalm 119:92).
Notice the intimate connection that the psalmist makes between the instructions given by God and his being able to come out on the other side of affliction. If you want a great mental image for delight, he has the idea of bending or inclining towards — Think of a branch that bends and grows towards the light. The light functioned as a spiritual anchor for the psalmist so that he had something secure to hold onto when he was walking through the valley of suffering.
7. God’s Word provides comfort in your pain.
There are seasons of suffering in our lives where we need to be fortified with the capacity to endure and then to move forward. But within those same seasons, we also need soothing soul care to address the emotional pain that we’re feeling. God’s sufficient Word meets us at our need here as well. The psalmist provides two verses of reassurance. Verse 50 reminds us,
“This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your promise gives me life” (Psalm 119:50).
In verse 76,
“Let Your steadfast love comfort me according to Your promise given to Your servant” (Psalm 119:76).
When asked to travel difficult paths through dark valleys, we not only need God’s Word to help us endure and maintain strength, but we also thirst for comfort, for the emotional and spiritual pain that we’re feeling in the misery itself. The comfort that God promises in his word does not eliminate the hardship. Rather, it transforms the experience. It reframes the hardship, so God’s promises serve as our support, our joy, and our sweetness of life. By faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we must believe that God’s Word is sufficient for any difficult situation that we’re going through.
Church, maybe today you would say, “Look, Antone, I have read God’s Word. It just does not speak to me in the ways that you described. It doesn’t really do much for me right now.” I’d like to offer you three thoughts if you are wrestling with this.
First, if you are a true follower of Jesus, there are going to be seasons in your life where God seems quiet, distant, or even hidden. To you, I’d ask that you recall what Ryan reminded us of some weeks back when he quoted the book of Hebrews to us: Keep at it; he’s worth it.
Did you know that the Psalms contain around 40 instances of the author asking, “How long?” How long, oh Lord, will you hide yourself forever? How long must I take counsel in my soul? How long, oh Lord, will you just look on? If these are questions that you find yourself asking, I would like to encourage you with verses 81 to 83. Take comfort.
“My soul longs for Your salvation; I hope in Your word. My eyes long for Your promise. I ask, ‘When will You comfort me?’ For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten Your statutes” (Psalm 119:81-83).
Second, I’d like to remind you that God’s word is not meant to just be read. The pages of Scripture were not divinely inspired to be scrolled through like a social media post. God’s Word was not meant to be skimmed like our favorite digital content. Let’s go back to my visit at Yellowstone.
What if I sprinted up to Artist Point, never stopped, and only gave a passing glance as I continued sprinting up the trail? Sure, there might have been some benefit, but it would not have changed me. The psalmist does more than simply read God’s Word. He interacts with it.
Listen for the action verbs that accompany reading the Scriptures: I have stored up your Word in my heart. I will fix my eyes on your ways. I will not forget your Word. I will meditate on your wondrous works. I set your rules before me.
If God’s Word can meet our deepest desire (and it can), then we must treat it like Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us. The New Living Translation reads this way:
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable” (Hebrews 4:12-13).
Perhaps God’s Word has become dull to you, maybe even disappointing. I would urge you to what Psalm 51 calls you to: confession and repentance. Why? Because repentance is the surest path to joy when we view God or his Word inaccurately.
Third, please consider this: If God’s Word is not changing you over time, producing new heart affections for him and for others, and moving you to repentance when necessary, then it might be time to examine yourself and ask, “Does God know me? Am I actually one of his sons or daughters? Does the Holy Spirit dwell within me?” Because there is no understanding of Scripture for the purposes that God intended unless you’ve confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. If this is true of you, I or another elder would love to meet with you and show you how you can know Jesus as your own Redeemer and Savior and then begin to have Scripture transform your life.
Reading the Bible and praying are the basics for us as believers. But if you’re not sure how to engage God’s Word for the purposes he’s intended, I’d like to offer a tool that I came across in Tim Keller’s book, Prayer. An excellent passage to try this on would be Psalm 119. First, he says,
“As you read a passage of Scripture, find a verse that speaks about God’s character, his ways, or how he views his sons and daughters. Number two, note a few thoughts and then choose one that speaks to you the most. Number three, now ask, how does this truth help me praise God? How does it show me a sin to confess? How does it show me something to ask God for?”
Here’s an example for you: I was reading Psalm 31 one morning and came back to verse 5:
“I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God” (Psalm 31:5).
Here’s a journal entry from back in May of this year. I was wrestling with being in control. See if you can pick up my praising God, a recognition of brokenness in my life that needed repentance, and then asking God for help in that area. This is from May 6th, 2026.
“‘I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.’ I love this verse, Father, and so value how you lived that out of me. I sought control and relinquished it to you. I entrusted my spirit into your hand, and you showed your faithfulness. Father, I simply want you to see my heart that has noticed you. I’m aware of what you kindly chose to do for me when I needed rescuing from controlling a situation. I sought control and made it seem like good motives, but I really just wanted to be sure a certain outcome happened. Isaiah 40 is clear: “To whom would I compare you?” If you can name each star and carefully note each one and never lose track of them, then I surely don’t need to try to exert my own control in a situation. I see what you did for me, and you did not have to do that, but I’m grateful. I’m thankful for a small kindness that you gave to me. Please begin to release my grip on future control situations like these. Make your provision glorious in my life. Amen.”
I’ve been doing this now for about nine to 10 months. It’s been so helpful in engaging the truths of Scripture with actual needs going on in my life. Paul Tripp offers sound wisdom about Scripture. He says,
“I am so prone to forget God, forget his grace, forget my identity as his child, forget that he supplies all that I need, forget his unstoppable sovereign plan, and forget his eternal kingdom. So I need to be reminded every day of God’s awesome glory, his gracious presence in my life, and my unique identity as his child. His word was given so that day after day, I would remember.”
Church, God’s Word is sufficient for whatever you are going through. It will speak to whatever you’re facing. It can change your heart towards obedience. But you must faithfully engage God’s Word for the purposes that he intended if you’re going to truly find the beauty that’s in the vista of God’s words.
May God’s Spirit help us today to live more like the psalmist when he declares, “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” Let’s close in prayer.
Lord, you have just transformed my own heart through Psalm 119. Thank you for that. I pray, Lord, that those listening today would begin to see your word in new and fresh ways that would bring joy and stability to their lives and glory to you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, who interacts with us and shows us what is true within your Word. Thank you for this Psalm today. We love you, Lord. In Jesus’s name, amen.
