Pray for North Korean settlers

North Korea Prayer Bulletin 2008 May-June Part 2

Praying for People from the North Settled in South Korea

(note of explanation: this was originally written for South Koreans)
Greetings in the name of the Lord. I work as a counselor at a resettlement center for people from the north who are living in the south. I am glad to meet you through this paper (note of explanation: we call these people here, “saeteomin.” This is a Korean word meaning “people who have come to live in a new land.”).
As I counsel these people (regarding various psychological problems related to their personal lives), I am trying to discover God’s heart for them.

People Who Have Lost Their Way

First, the deepest thing I sense is the heart of love that Father God has for the saeteomin.
He has the heart of a father who cares for his lost son; He has the heart of a father whose heart aches as he thinks about the pain and hardship his prodigal son is experiencing. These people who have come from the North lived under a system that claimed that God does not exist. They also have come out of a setting where most do not express if they disagree with this view. They do not even realize that they are prodigal sons; yet they have wandered far from home, are naked and starving and do not even know the way back to home and the Father. They have come out of and are living in this serious condition. So they have come out of a place where it is hard to live; that is, they have left a place where they did not have many basic things. They have come to South Korea, a place where they have food to eat, clothes to eat and a warm apartment to live in; but for some reason, their hearts are still not satisfied. They have clothes and food; but still these people who do not know the Father continue to wander spiritually.
Of course many people in South Korea (maybe 80% of the population?) are also wandering spiritually; but these people (from the north) are carrying distinct psychological burdens. They have these burdens because since they were born, they have been thirsty for love and have grown up in an environment that is dry, emotionally and relationally. No matter how much tasty food they eat or alcohol they drink, even if they wear fine clothes and have fights, they cannot take care of their psychological burdens and spiritual thirst. We know that only when they are embraced in the heart of Father God, will these problems be taken care of.

Brothers who have Been Wounded

I also sense the heart of God the Son, Jesus, who cares for these people and has compassion on them. When He sees them, does He not have a heart of special mercy and compassion on these saeteomin who have suffered? They have been through many more hard experiences in their lives than those in the south have been through. I believe the Lord who was wounded for our transgressions was also wounded for these brothers from the north (Isaiah 53:5). I believe that the Lord Jesus who died on the cross to take the penalty of death for all people’s sins and set people free, and then did not stay in the grave but rose again – I believe that He has opened the way for these brothers from the north also to experience the love expressed on Christ’s cross and the power of the resurrection. I believe that Jesus, who enabled us to return to God while we were still sinners by covering our sin with His blood, wants to cover our saeteomin brothers’ sin and to lead them back to our heavenly Father.

Brothers Who Want to Live a New Life

I sense the heart of the Holy Spirit who wants to help these brothers begin living a new life. These brothers and sisters are now living as free people physically; but they still have unhealthy habits and still are not released from the chains of sin and oppression in their hearts and souls. The Holy Spirit not only wants to help these people, He is capable of helping them.
And so I see the heart of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit for these people.

The God Who Has Called Us

I believe that the our Triune God is calling us to show the Father’s heart, the Lord and Saviour’s heart and the Advocate Holy Spirit’s heart to these people. I believe He is calling us, who have returned first to God, to love these people and show them compassion, because He wants to help them.

As I have heard their heartbreaking stories (lack of food, parents who have lost their children and people who were separated from their brothers, sisters, friends and relatives; stories that could not be told or heard without tears), I have understood more the heart of Jesus who looked with compassion on the crowd that was like sheep without a shepherd; the heart of the Father who embraces them and cries for them; and the heart of the Holy Spirit who wants to comfort them and give them strength to live a new life. And I believe that Triune God is calling us to understand even a little of His heart and participate in His ministry to these people.

A Work that Only the Lord Can Do - and Yet a Work that We Can Participate in Through Prayer

On one hand, this is a precious work that only the Lord can do. On the other hand, we can hear His voice calling us to join Him in this work. How much of a privilege and honour this is! I would like to propose to you who are reading this how we can participate in this work through prayer.

1. The number of saeteomin who have come to the South is now over 10,000. For various reasons, the Christian church is ministering to these people in a variety of ways. Please pray that these ministries would truly be a beautiful living sacrifice that pleases God.
2. I ask that you pray that God would supply the resources needed for the ministries that are most needed, and that these ministries would develop and be carried out in the right way.
3. I hope you can pray that each organization or church that is doing this kind of ministry will treat each saeteomin with the heart of God; and that each kind of ministry will faithfully do their part so that the saeteomin will receive the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit through their ministry. It has been discovered that some groups and churches have fallen into the temptation of doing this kind of ministry with worldly motives and values. Some groups have been tempted to do this kind of ministry so they can be proud of their accomplishments, so they can receive recognition from people, or so they can increase their membership or power. When groups fall into this kind of temptation, it is the people from the north who are hurt the worst. When this happens, instead of getting a good impression of the church, the saeteomin show an angry and bitter spirit toward the church and God.
4. Please pray that we who are doing ministry with saeteomin will truly do it with the heart of God and seek to sympathize with these people, understand their point of view and help them carry their burdens.
5. One saeteomin brother made this request, with a sad look on his face: “Please, instead of doing this just to make your South churches have more members, please help us saeteomin to really believe well in God.”
   Please pray that this brother’s sincere wish would be granted through the churches in the South.

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