The following news update is from Mission Network News.
North Korea (MNN) ― Some sources say that North Korea's Peace Commission has declared that they are prepared to fight an all-out war. Many more confirm that at least rumors of war have been heavily circulated. Korean-American Christians say it's time to pray.
"Several Korean-American Baptists are calling for an ‘awakening moment' of prayer as military tensions between North and South Korea reach their highest point since the Korean War," states an International Mission Board report.
Since the North Korean artillery attack on civilians of South Korea in late November, Korean-American Baptist church leaders have been reawakened to the need for prayer for both Korean nations.
Korean-American church mobilizer Park Se-yung notes, "We have a good life physically and spiritually, and we have freedom. But somehow we have lost God's heart toward the North Korean people who have suffered so much and are still suffering. This is another call, especially for Korean churches, to see them through God's eyes."
In the meantime, South Korea has, of course, also been thrown into distress. The South Korean government has faced pressure to retaliate against North Korea more forcefully than they have, and the nation's intelligence chief predicted that another North Korean attack was highly likely. A presidential security advisor told legislators if South Korea was attacked again, they would react by bombing the North.
On top of all that is the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who has displayed his instability on several occasions. His son and heir-apparent, Kim Jong-Un, is equally interested in war as his father, according to the Asia Times.
The response of the Korean-American Baptist church has been to fall to their knees in prayer, and their prayer is that every Christian will follow suit. Divine intervention may be the only thing to stop the pestilent battles that could otherwise lie ahead.
Pray for the North Korean people who have been oppressed in their poverty. Pray for Kim Jong-il as well as his son Kim Jong-Un to be miraculously transformed for Christ. Pray for the North Korean and South Korean churches to know how to respond, whatever their fate may be. Pray that the Gospel would move forward in this volatile stretch of anticipation.
The International Mission Board sends missionaries across the globe to proclaim the name of Christ to the nations. Learn more about this ministry at imb.org.
