Go! And… Live in Great Peace: The Unshakable Gift of Loving God’s Word
Key Scripture: Psalm 119:165 (NLT)
“Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.”
Introduction – The Quest for Peace in a Restless Age
In the 21st Century, the world is searching for peace. People try to find it in possessions, in relationships, in self-help techniques, in mindfulness apps, in a new career or a better holiday destination. Yet, true peace—deep, abiding, unshakable peace—remains elusive.
The Psalmist declares: “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.” This is not a fragile peace that crumbles when life is hard. It is not a fleeting peace that vanishes when the news headlines break our hearts. This is great peace—peace rooted in the eternal Word of God.
Today, as part of our Go! And… series, I want us to hear the call: Go! And live in great peace! Not because of our circumstances, but because of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the living Word.
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible—176 verses, each one celebrating the beauty, power, and necessity of God’s Word. The word translated “instructions” here is the Hebrew word ??????? (torah), meaning law, teaching, or direction. It speaks not only of rules, but of God’s revealed will—His instruction for life.
The phrase “great peace” uses the Hebrew word ??????? (shalom), meaning not just the absence of conflict but wholeness, completeness, well-being, flourishing in every aspect of life.
And the phrase “do not stumble” comes from the Hebrew ????????? (mikshol), meaning to fall, to falter, to trip. Those who love God’s Word walk securely.
1. Great Peace Comes from Loving God’s Word
Jesus said in John 14:27 (NLT): “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
True peace is not something we manufacture; it is a gift from Christ. But notice in Psalm 119:165—it is those who love His instructions who experience it. Loving God’s Word means more than reading it; it means treasuring it, obeying it, letting it shape our lives.
Charles Stanley once said: “The Word of God is our anchor in the storms of life. Without it, we drift; with it, we stand secure.”
As I reflect on that, I am reminded how many Christians today want peace without the anchor. They want calm seas without the compass. But God says: Peace flows from a heart anchored in His Word.
A sailor in a storm does not throw away the anchor; he throws it overboard to hold him steady. Likewise, in the storms of life—cancer diagnoses, redundancy, family crises—we hold to the Word, and it holds us.
Do you treasure God’s Word enough to let it anchor your peace? Or do you treat it as a spare tyre—only reached for when life goes flat?
2. Great Peace Guards Us from Stumbling
Psalm 37:23–24 (NLT) says: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”
The Hebrew concept here is that loving God’s Word sets a guardrail on our path. It does not mean we never trip, but that we are kept from ultimate ruin. It is the difference between stumbling and staying down, versus stumbling and being lifted.
John Piper says: “Satan tempts us to trade eternal joy for momentary pleasure. But the Word of God awakens us to reality.”
How true! Temptation seeks to make us stumble—bitterness, lust, pride, greed. But the Word of God opens our eyes: sin is a trap, Christ is the way.
I once read of a hiker in the Lake District who ignored the warning signs and slipped on the edge of a cliff path. Thankfully, a guide had set a rope as a safeguard. The Word of God is that rope—when we love it, we heed its warnings and walk securely.
Are there areas in your life where you are close to stumbling because you’ve ignored God’s Word? A compromise? A secret sin? Let today be the day you turn back before the fall.
3. Great Peace Points Us to the Prince of Peace
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT): “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
The ultimate fulfilment of Psalm 119:165 is found in Jesus Christ, the living Word (John 1:1). The written Word points to the living Word, and He Himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14).
The Hebrew shalom we long for is not simply a calm life; it is a reconciled relationship with God. And that only comes through the Gospel.
R.T. Kendall said: “The greatest peace you will ever know is when you are forgiven.”
No amount of therapy or positive thinking can grant the peace of knowing your sins are wiped away because Christ has paid for them on the cross.
The Gospel Call
Let me share it plainly:
We were all sinners—enemies of God, deserving judgement. But Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to live the perfect life we could not live, died the death we deserved on the cross, and rose again to give us new life.
Romans 5:1 (NLT): “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
This is the great peace Psalm 119:165 points towards—not only peace in life’s storms, but peace with God for eternity.
Have you received that peace? Have you repented—turned from your sin—and trusted Christ alone as Saviour and Lord? Without Him, you cannot know great peace.
A Call to Action for Believers
If you already belong to Christ, let this verse challenge you:
Are you loving the Word or neglecting it?
Are you living in peace or letting anxiety and fear reign?
Are you walking securely or stumbling on the same sins?
Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT): “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”
Corrie ten Boom, who survived the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp, wrote: “You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.”
She clung to God’s Word, smuggled into that camp, and it gave her great peace in the midst of hell on earth.
Friends, if the Word of God could give Corrie peace in a death camp, it can give you peace in a broken marriage, in a failing economy, in a cancer ward, in a restless mind.
Invitation to Salvation:
Today, Jesus Christ invites you to receive great peace. Not because your circumstances will suddenly become easy, but because He will forgive your sin, reconcile you to God, and give you His Spirit.
Will you repent—turn from your sin, your self-reliance, your unbelief—and trust in Him today?
Romans 10:9 (NLT): “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
This is the promise of the Gospel.
Benediction / Exhortation:
Beloved, as you go this week, go with this promise:
“Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.”
Hold fast to the Word. Trust the Saviour. Walk in His peace. And may the Lord bless you and keep you; may His peace guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
