You will not need to fight this battle...
I haven't had the chance to read the news about the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, so I don't have much to say about the event, except that it looks like an answer to prayer.
There are very many prayer groups that have been meeting for years--in different nations, and in very different cultures and church backgrounds. We will never know just how much effort has gone into prayer and missions efforts for North Korea. So much has been done privately, "in the secret place" of prayer.
Several years ago, Sean Feucht of Fire and Fragrance wrote this song in North Korea. (North Koreans aren't free to worship God, but foreigners are.) It's a prophetic declaration, that God started a good work there in centuries past, and He will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).
Here is part of the song:
There's a justice rolling down,
all that's hidden will be found
With holy recompense, a kingdom comes,
no force can stop, His will be done
Oh my God, You can do anything,
Oh my God, nothing's too hard for You...
You're faithful to the end,
You will finish what You started
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Sean Feucht singing "Finish What You Started" in North Korea.
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In 2011, I was at a prayer meeting with some Singaporeans. They were fervently praying that Kim Jong-il would repent, or be replaced. Three days later, he had a heart attack and died, and was replaced by Kim Jong Un. I started to pay attention, and have been following North Korea news since then.
I know a lot of stories of foreigners working in and near North Korea--beautiful, powerful, and also heartbreaking stories. But the world has not really begun to hear the stories that North Koreans themselves have to tell. Not yet.
But in the years to come, they will. Until then, we pray...let justice flow like a river in North Korea, and may the testimony of Jesus go out from there to the nations!
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A few years ago, I was attending a weekly prayer gathering for North Korea, on the other side of Hong Kong. Someone there shared 2 Chronicles 20:12-20, as a prophetic prayer for North Korea. Verse 17 says:
"You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
While the news analysts talk at length about the Trump-Kim summit, we should continue to pray for North Korea, and watch what the Lord does.
North Korea is the most religious place in the world (except perhaps the territories occupied by ISIS). The culture is trapped inside an incredibly complex cult of devotion to the Kim family that dominates all aspects of everyday life. But it is also perhaps the most lawless place in the world, with rampant corruption, alcoholism, prostitution, sexual assault, etc, etc.
Tragically, abortion is also very common in North Korea. From 1950 to 2015, there was practically no legal restriction on abortion, and abortion was frequently coerced/forced. I was surprised to learn that Kim Jong Un changed this in 2015, and made abortion illegal. This is very strange, because he is not "pro-life" in any sense of the word. But his reason was simply to increase the population, as Adolf Hitler did by making abortion illegal for his "Aryan" race. But just as Nazi Germany required abortion for many non-Aryans, North Korea requires abortion for many mixed-race babies, and for prisoners. (More on this situation here.)
Besides all the other injustices, there are still many thousands of Christians in prison, because they have not bowed to the images of false gods.
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It's easy to watch the news, and forget that North Korea is a real country, with people who really work and play and laugh, and get married and raise children and send them to school so that they can grow up and have the best possible life.
But there is little hope for a better life inside North Korea as things are right now. So, we should continue to pray for the country.
"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." (Hebrews 13:3)
A quick note about my previous request for help with office space. The ministry I'm sharing space with is willing to let me pay month by month. Thanks to a very generous donation, I have enough for this month. But I am looking for donors to help me make this office space possible for the coming year. Tax-free (tax-deductible) donations are available for Hong Kong and U.S. residents.
God bless you,
Joe Woodard
P.S. Today I talked with a Chinese pro-life leader, who asks for prayers for himself and his wife. Please, please pray for them personally, and for their life-saving ministry in China.
Please also pray for the safety of Christian pastors, and of NGOs run by Chinese Christians. Many churches continue to be quietly shut down, as well as orphanages, elderly homes, and other ministries that care for neglected members of society. They are under especially close watch right now throughout China, and especially in Henan, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces.
The situation in China is always uncertain, but God can do anything, anywhere. If you've ever thought of serving in China, now is the perfect time to take Chinese classes. "The harvest is ripe, but the workers are few."
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