Christian Leaders Who Overcome with God's Word

[Psalm 119:49-56]

Yesterday, on the first day of our church's Word Conference, God rebuked me through the speaker, gave me understanding, and also encouraged me. He encouraged me, saying that, like the good man Barnabas, who was full of the Holy Spirit and faith, God continues to raise leaders with the vision of moving forward (Acts 11:25-26). Not only did He encourage me, but God also comforted me with His Word and strengthened me, allowing me to be led with even stronger faith toward the vision He has given me (and also to the church). By His grace, I want to work even harder, seeing the potential of each soul, discovering leaders with that potential, and humbly participating in the ministry of raising those leaders so that the Lord can establish them. In raising leaders, I want to fully dedicate myself to the ministry of forming Christian leaders who, with the Word of God, fight against sin, the world, Satan, and death, and overcome in the spiritual battle.

Who are the Christian leaders who overcome with the Word of God? Today, based on the passage from Psalm 119:49-56, I want to reflect on four key points and learn from them:

First, Christian leaders who overcome with the Word of God make God’s Word their "hope."

Look at Psalm 119:49: "Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope." The psalmist was "in affliction" (v. 50). The arrogant ones mocked him severely (v. 51). The purpose of mocking him was to make the psalmist abandon the Lord’s law (v. 51). Moreover, the psalmist was suffering because of the wicked who had forsaken the Lord's law (v. 53). In the midst of such suffering, he prayed to the Lord. He prayed, saying, "Remember the word to Your servant" (v. 49). In other words, the psalmist was asking God to remember the promises He had made to him. How could the faithful and true God forget the promises He made to the psalmist? If He could forget, it would not be God, but the psalmist, who could forget the promises of God. So, when the psalmist was in trouble, he remembered the Lord's ancient regulations (v. 5). He also remembered the Lord’s name at night and kept His law (v. 55). Why did he remember God’s Word? Because God's Word was "my hope" (v. 49). God’s Word is our hope.

When we are in suffering, we must look to God, who is our "hope," with faith. In times of trouble, we must remember the Lord’s Word, which is our "hope." And we must pray, expect, and wait on the faithful God who will fulfill His promises.

Secondly, Christian leaders who are victorious through God's Word make God's Word their "comfort."

Look at Psalm 119:50 in the Bible: "This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life." The psalmist desired to be comforted by the Word of God when he was in difficulty. Therefore, he remembered the Lord’s ancient laws and "comforted himself" (v. 52). Here, "ancient laws" refers to God’s Word, which has been revealed as true from ancient times and is firmly established (Park Yun-seon). In other words, the psalmist remembered God's promises, which had been revealed as true and firmly established in his life. He looked back at his past, reflecting on the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His promises, and received true comfort for his soul.

Christian leaders need to cultivate the spiritual strength to comfort themselves. To do so, they must not only make God’s promises their "hope," but also make the God of the covenant, who gave these promises, their "hope" (v. 49). They should then remember the promises given by the faithful Lord, hold onto those promises, and pray to God in faith. By doing so, through God’s Word, which gives life to their soul in times of trouble (v. 50), they will experience God's kindness, which brings comfort (v. 76).

Thirdly, Christian leaders who are victorious through God's Word make God's Word their "song."

Look at Psalm 119:54: "Your statutes have been my song in the house of my pilgrimage." The psalmist, in the midst of difficulties, made the Word of God's promises, which became his hope and comfort, his "song" and, rather than complaining, he praised God. He praised God by making the Word of God his song in "the house of his pilgrimage." How could a pilgrim have a home? Even if he had one, it would only be temporary. The psalmist was looking toward his eternal home, which is Heaven. He was following God's Word, heading toward that Heaven, while making God’s Word his song and praising the Lord.

We are pilgrims heading toward Heaven. As we live in this world, like pilgrims, we long for a better homeland and are worshipers who praise God even in difficulties. When we worship God, we must remember the salvation He has already accomplished for us in Jesus Christ and praise Him for it. Furthermore, we must praise God in faith, looking forward to the second coming of Christ, the work God will yet perform. Like the prophet Habakkuk, we must make our song a prayer and praise God (Habakkuk 3). Just as Paul and Silas, when imprisoned, prayed and praised God (Acts 16:25), and a miraculous event occurred (they were not only freed from prison, but also the jailer's soul and his family were saved), we too must make God’s promises our song, pray to God in faith, and experience God’s amazing work of salvation.

Lastly, in fourth place, Christian leaders who gain victory through God's Word make God's Word their "possession."

Look at Psalm 119:56 in the Bible: "This is my possession, that I keep your precepts." The psalmist, in his distress, made God's Word his hope, comfort, and song, and by keeping God's commandments, he made them his possession. He used his suffering as an opportunity to make God's Word his own. He turned his crisis into an opportunity to deeply inscribe God's Word in the depths of his heart through the challenges of his life.

Through the death of my first child, which was the greatest crisis of my life, God deeply impressed Psalm 63:3 upon my heart. Since the Lord's eternal love is better than the 55 days of life my first child, Ju-Young, had, I could not help but praise the Lord with my lips. The love of God towards me was so great and amazing that I could not help but praise His love. Even now, whenever I reflect on the word that God planted in my heart at that time, especially during difficult and challenging moments, God continues to deeply inscribe those words in the depths of my being. Psalm 63:3, along with John 6:1-15 and Matthew 16:18, have become "my possession." Today, through these words, God gives me hope and comfort, leading me to praise Him.

Christian leaders who gain victory through God's Word must make God's Word their "possession," their "comfort," their "song," and their "possession." Therefore, we must win spiritual battles through God's Word, lifting songs of victory to God while advancing toward our heavenly home.

I pray that both you and I may become such Christian leaders.

Pastor James Kim
(Sharing with a heart of gratitude for the grace that God continually bestows through Psalm 119, as I prepare for the Victory Presbyterian Church foundation service.)