How can I grow to love God’s Word more than I currently do?

One night recently, I had trouble falling asleep. So I got up and spent three hours in Psalm 119. I addressed a single question to this amazing psalm: What can I do to increase my love for God’s Word?

Why Psalm 119? This longest psalm (and longest chapter!) in the Bible is chock full of statements of love for God’s Word. Here are a few:

Verse 24: “Your testimonies are my delight”

Verse 48: “I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love”

Verse 92: “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.”

Verse 97 “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

Verse 103: “How sweet are your Words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Verse 119: “I love your testimonies.”

Verse 159: “I love your precepts!”

Verse 167: “My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly.”

These are wonderful words! But they also highlight a tension many of us feel. We don’t always feel love for God’s Word. Many of us read it out of duty (which is fine on its own) — and even benefit from our reading — but would really love to increase our love for God’s Word.

So what can we do to grow in loving God’s Word more than we currently do?

Ten Ways to Increase Your Love for God’s Word from Psalm 119

1. Regularly praise God for giving you his Word.

“Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.” (164)

“My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes.” (171)

Praise, like thankfulness, has a tendency to soften one’s heart toward the person or thing being praised.

2. Pray that God will teach you as you read.

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (18)

“Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.” (135)

“Give me understanding according to your Word!” (169b)

(More: 12, 26, 34, 64, 124, 125)

Start your Bible reading with prayer. Pray on-and-off as you read. Even allow the text of what you are reading to guide you into prayer. Intersecting Bible reading with prayer can soften your heart to the Bible.

3. Consciously engage your affections.

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” (10; cf. 145)

“I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.” (131)

“I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.” (174; cf. 145)

(More: 145)

If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is already moving your heart toward love for His Word. Engage your emotions in dependence on the Spirit.

4. Think about the benefits of God’s Word in your life. Consider ways God has changed you through his Word.

“Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.” (98)

“Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.” (104)

“Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it.” (140)

“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” (165)

(More: 72, 103, 111)

These verses focus on character qualities like wisdom, understanding, consistency, and peace that come about through spending time in God’s Word. There are many other benefits besides these. Repeatedly think about them.

5. Connect your love for God himself — including his attributes — to loving his Word.

Do you love God? If your answer is yes — and assuming that your answer is true — then you can connect that truth to God’s Word since the Word of God is a reflection of God himself.

“You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” (68)

The psalmist focuses here on the goodness of God; therefore God’s statutes are good.

“Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.” (73, cf. 152)

The psalmist focuses on God as Creator — perhaps thinking about God making our minds (since the psalmist is asking for understanding).

“Forever, O LORD, your Word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations” (89-90a, cf. 160)

The psalmist focuses on God’s faithfulness; therefore his Word is faithful.

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your Word.” (114)

The psalmist acknowledges that God is Protector, so we can hope in his Word.

“Righteous are you, O LORD, and right are your rules.” (137, cf. 138, 142)

If God is righteous, then so is his Word.

You can increase your love for God’s Word by connecting it to the character of God himself, whom you love.

6. Talk with others about what you’ve learned from reading the Bible.

“With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.” (13)

“I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.” (46-47)

“I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.” (63)

Talking with others is a wonderful way to increase your love of the Bible.

7. Openly confess to the Lord your tendency to put other things ahead of God’s Word.

“Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” (36)

“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” (37)

Tell God about your lack of attentiveness to God’s Word and that you understand that it’s wrong. For example: “I’m so sorry that I spend so much time on social media or video games to the neglect of reading your Word.” Don’t justify it, just admit that you’ve been wrong in this area, tell the Lord about it, perhaps confess your sin to another Christian brother or sister, and then make a change.

8. Radically obey whatever you learn from your time in the Bible.

“I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.” (106)

“Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.” (129)

“My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly. I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you.” (167-168)

(More: 1, 59-60).

You will experience a surprising amount of increase in love for God’s Word if you decide to radically obey God’s Word.

9. Memorize God’s Word.

Ask anyone who has memorized chapters and/or books of the Bible. Those active memorizers will tell you that knowing Scripture by heart has really helped them love the Bible a lot more.

Here are some words from the psalmist:

“I have stored up your Word in my heart.” (11)

“I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your Word.” (16)

“For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes.” (83)

“I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.” (93)

(More: 176)

Do you want to increase your love for God’s Word? Start memorizing.

This is a good moment to announce that I have a new little book coming in January (2026) on the easiest way to memorize Scripture — the way people did in Bible times. The book is entitled: .

Memorizing is a wonderful way to grow in your love for God’s Word.

10. Meditate on God’s Word throughout the day.

Meditation in the Bible presupposes memorization. People in Bible times didn’t have personal Bibles to read, so they had to first learn in order to be able to think deeply on it after they had memorized it.

Notice how frequently the psalmist meditates on God’s Word: in the morning, throughout the day, and even at night:

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” (15)

“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (97)

“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your Words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.” (147-148)

(More: 6, 23, 27, 48, 55, 62, 78, 99)

Meditation on Scripture is the tenth way from Psalm 119 that you can increase your love for God’s Word.

This and other resources are available at .

Notes

is a link to a message I recently preached that follows this outline. (Scroll down to September 7, 2025.)

Also, my friend and colleague, Uche Anizor, has a book of coming out soon if you want to go deeper into that wonderful psalm.