“Your youth are to You as the dew”
[Psalms 110]
Last Sunday, I participated in the 4th Cell Bible Study and studied about “The spiritual war belonging to the Lord’. As we studied, we discussed the biggest battlegrounds each of us faced in the ‘Open Heart’ section. I shared that the great battleground is my home, my work, my relationship with people, and my inner self. At the same time, we asked each one the question, ‘Are we properly armed in this spiritual war?’ The reason is because we cannot win this big fight without properly armed. Are we wearing the full armor of God? Are we armed with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the gospel of peace as shoes, and the word of God as the sword of the Holy Spirit? Are we fighting well with the word and faith of God in the spiritual war we are fighting now? Are we fighting with the assurance of salvation? Are we using it as an opportunity to experience and share the gospel of peace?
Personally, I lost my own big battlefield on the next Monday, the fight with my inner self, after last Sunday's section bible study. When I couldn't sleep late on Monday night, I looked back at myself on the living room sofa, I remembered the words I had preached. I remembered the words “their heart was hardened” (Mk. 6:52) that I proclaimed at the dawn of last Friday and Saturday and Sunday English Ministry service and ‘for the sake of salvation’ (Acts 27:27-44) that I proclaimed at the Sunday Korean Ministry service. And I saw myself not being able to keep peace in my heart and disobeying God’s word as I harden my heart. Even though I knew what was proclaimed, when I saw myself, who had lived a day with intentionally rebelling against His words that I proclaimed all day long and thinking of sinful thoughts at my own will, my heart was heavy and I was disappointed by myself again. Looking at my own weaknesses, inadequacies, worthlessness, and sinfulness, I sought God's mercy and grace while facing my inner self who had fought and defeated by my old sinful nature. I confessed my sins to God, admitted and asked for forgiveness. Then, at the early morning prayer meeting on Tuesday, when I talked about my spiritual battle with myself on Monday, and when I prayed to God, I remembered Philippians 4:6-7 among the words proclaimed during the Sunday Korean service. Then I prayed to God with thanksgiving. And I decided and determined to be grateful. In the midst of that, God allowed me to have peace in my heart on Tuesday and let me taste the joy of victory.
In order to win this spiritual war that belongs to God, we must be raised up as the young men of the Lord like the dew in the morning mentioned in Psalms 110:3 – “Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew.” I first heard this phrase at Seohyun Church in Korea. I heard it for the first time when an assistant pastor in charge of young adult referred to Seohyun's young people as ‘The Lord’s young people like the morning dew.’ At that time, I thought it was a really good phrase without knowing the meaning. Then, while meditating on Psalms 110, I saw the phrase “Your youth are to You as the dew”. And I began to meditate on what kind of people are the youth who are to the Lord as the dew. I would like to think of three things. In the midst of that, I pray that all of us will be raised up as the youth of the Lord like the morning dew so that we can win our spiritual battle.
First, the young men of the Lord who are like the morning dew are those who are willing to devote themselves to the Lord.
The young men of the Lord like the morning dew refer to those who are willingly or cheerfully devoted to the Lord Jesus, who is the commander on the day of the Lord's power, that is, the day of the Lord's war. These young men like the morning dew who joyfully devoted themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the death and ascended to heaven and who sat at the right hand of God and reigning as the King of Heaven (v. 1), are countless numbers (Internet). In other words, the countless young men of the Lord who have joyfully devoted themselves to Christ and for His church represent the Lord's spiritual army (Park). The Lord's youth, like the morning dew, that is the Lord's spiritual army, are the good soldiers of Christ Jesus. In other words, these are the good soldiers of Christ Jesus who suffer hardship with the Lord, who aren’t entangled themselves in the affairs of everyday life, so that they may please the Lord who enlisted them as a soldier (2 Tim. 2:3-4).
The Lord has recruited us into His army. We are the young men of the Lord who are like the morning dew who joyfully devote ourselves to the Lord who is the captain. We must strive to become the Lord's good soldiers as the Lord's spiritual soldiers recruited into the Lord's army. In order to do so, we must participate in His suffering, knowing that suffering with the Lord is God’s grace (Phil 1:29; 3:10). And we should try not to get stuck in our own lives but to please the Lord who has recruited us. In order to please Jesus, the commander of the army as the good soldiers of the Lord, we must be loyal to Him and obey His commands. We must dedicate ourselves to Jesus, the commander, and to obey His words.
Second, the young men of the Lord who are like the morning dew are those those of holy character.
The morning dew is freshness without dust. Therefore, the Lord’s youth who are like the morning dew refers to the Lord’s young men who are pure like the clearness of the bright dew shining in the morning light (Internet). The Lord’s young and pure men were in holy array (v. 3). In other words, the Lord’s young men who are like the morning dew are the Lord’s holy spiritual soldiers on the day of the Lord’s war. Then, what kind of war is the war in which the spiritual soldiers of the Lord go to the war of the Lord and fight by relying on Jesus, the commander? It’s a holy spiritual war. We, who are in this holy spiritual war, must shine like dew as the Lord's holy spiritual soldiers. In other words, as we fight this dark world, we must shine the holy light of the Lord. To do this, we must expose and rebuke the unfruitful deeds of darkness (Eph. 5:11, 13). By no means should we, as the holy soldiers of the Lord, participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness (v. 11). Therefore, as the Lord's holy spiritual soldiers, we must give glory to the holy Lord as we triumph in holy spiritual war.
Third and last, the young men of the Lord who are like the morning dew are those who overcome the world with renewed strength.
As the Lord's holy soldiers and the young men of the Lord who are like the morning dew who engage in the holy spiritual war are triumphant in spiritual warfare by receiving fresh strength from Jesus Christ who is sitting at the right hand of God. The Lord’s young men who are like the morning dew and who are in this holy spiritual war know that their struggle is not against the flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12). In other words, they keep in mind that the spiritual warfare is against “the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (v. 12). Therefore, the Lord’s spiritual soldiers who are like the morning dew must wear the full armor of God. Especially in the fight against evil spirits, they must sharpen their only weapon, the sword of the Spirit. We must fight spiritual warfare by sharpening our minds and hearts with the Word of God, and by praying with sound judgment and sober spirit (1 Pet. 4:7). Never should the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and make it unfruitful (Mt. 13:22). We cannot win if we fight spiritual war while we are spiritually dull. We must fight against ourselves, sins, the world, and Satan by faith in Jesus, with assurance of victory. This should be the image of the church. We must all live a combative life with assurance of victory.
What does the church really need to fight in spiritual warfare as the Lord's youth (armies) who are like the morning dew? It is the new strength that is supplied from the Lord every day, every moment. We must receive the new strength from the Lord, who overcame death, resurrected, and ascended to heaven, sitting at the right hand of God so that we can gain strength and win in this holy spiritual war. In order to obtain the new strength that the Lord provides, we must listen to God's quite voice in the quiet hearts. As the dew falls silently in the middle of the night, we must be refreshed because we hear God's small voice in the quiet hearts. In order for us to fight and win spiritual war, we must never be weakened. Rather, in order to fight against the forces of injustice and sin, we must be provided with the strength that the Lord gives us daily. We need the power of God's Word, the sword of the Holy Spirit. We need the power of the gospel. Also, in order for the church to win in spiritual warfare, we need the power of prayer.
If we look at Exodus 17:15, we find the word “The Lord is our Banner”. When Israel and Amalek fought at Rephidim, Moses raised his hand and prayed, then Israel won (v. 11). When Moses' hand didn’t come down for the sun to go down, Israel triumphed and built an altar and named it Jehovah Nissi (v. 15). The power that triumphed in the war was God's power in answering Moses' prayer (Internet). Today, we must hear this word and pray. We must not let go of our prayers in order to win our spiritual battle we face, the great spiritual war we are currently fighting in. As the young men of the Lord who are like the morning dew, we should be joyful and devoted to the Lord. And as good soldiers of the Lord, we must shine the light of God's holiness. We are the Lord's holy spiritual soldiers. We must fight this dark world and reveal the holiness of the Lord. We must receive the new strength from the Lord day by day and moment by moment in order to win the spiritual battles given to us. Therefore, I hope and pray that we can put the flag of victory, that is ‘Jehovah Nissi” or “The Lord is My Banner” in our battlefield.
Wanting to live a militant Christian life with assurance of victory,
James Kim
(After singing the hymn “There’s a Royal Banner” with my church members at the Wednesday night prayer meeting)