I think it is very helpful. Why? The Buddha statue and it's various postures have symbolic meanings. The hands in the lap is the Meditation posture. The hand touching the ground means the moment of the Buddha's enlightenment. This is a very powerful posture and can be inspiring. It is when the Buddha called the Earth to witness that he had the right to become enlightened when Mara was attacking him.
Sometimes I've had the experience where the mind is going crazy and just by touching the hand to the ground, can give strength. Mara can attack me but I am sitting in this posture and I am not moving. It is a very powerful posture.
A Buddha statue can also remind you of your human potential, reminds you of the Buddha and the powerful efforts he put into purifying the mind. We have a lot of images in the West that mean a lot of other things that are totally opposite to the Buddha statue. By seeing the Buddha statue regularly, it helps remind us of what is truly important and our human potential. A visual image of something that is so high also has an impact on us. So I find it very helpful and powerful seeing a Buddha statue.