Your Love Never Fails

This past weekend I attended an event focusing on North Korean refugees in the US, and included a North Korean refugee giving his account of escaping North Korea and how he came to know Christ. Now let me first put you in my state of mind for a moment here…. The day before was my 29th birthday where I did absolutely nothing but lay around all day then went out to dinner with friends that night. I got up “early” to go to this event on North Korean refugees primarily because I work in cross cultural ministry at the church which was technically hosting the event, and I thought it would be “interesting”. Furthermore, I was running late because I couldn’t decide what to wear, I hit traffic, couldn’t get a good parking space, and when I got to the event there were audio/visual issues setting up the microphones for the speakers. Not to mention, I was thumbing through text messages of birthday wishes from caring friends and responses to “How was your birthday?” added to my distractions. Needless to say, my mind was anywhere but in the room that morning.

The speaker was introduced, he came up to the front of the room with his translator and my distractions continued with worries as to whether or not there were enough chairs, could people find the room location, should I put literature out….I was in prime time “Martha-mode” if you know what I mean. Then it happened, as I was sitting there the proverbial noise around me came to a screeching halt. This sweet refugee from North Korea was just about 7 minutes into his story, and he began to weep. I became glued to watching his emotions, which I felt God using to grab my heart, and not just my attention. I began to wonder if anyone was going to comfort him, but I immediately felt God reassure me that He was the one embracing this middle-aged North Korean man who was so brave to stand up in front of a crowded room to share such a heart wrenching story.

I immediately began to wonder, as this sweet man of God poured out his story, were these tears of relief? Were they tears of haunting fears? Were these tears of grief? Were these tears of joy over survival? He gathered his composure and continued on with his story filling us in on his time in a North Korea prison camp where he was asked by the North Korean government to cremate bodies who had died of starvation. You see, the government of North Korea uses food as a weapon, they do not feed everyone nor do they give healthcare to the sick. Tons of North Koreans die of starvation and many die of preventable illnesses. The man’s life had been spared, praise God! But what about the ones he left behind?

As he stood there, I also wondered what pain had his eyes seen? What terrifying and unspeakable torture had he witnessed and experienced that we will know nothing about in our lifetime as we lay in a warm bed tonight? If we could see through his eyes, what would we see? This man came to Christ in Thailand after escaping North Korea, and has committed his life to reaching North Korea for Jesus Christ. God has provided for him a wife who is a missionary to North Korea as well, they are partners in the gospel, serving Christ better together than apart. This man's life was a clear testament that God's love never fails, and "though there is pain in the night, joy comes in the morning".

If someone saw life through our eyes, what would they see? This gathering left me challenged to love deeply for Christ. The proverbial noise of our lives will try to distract us from Christ’s purpose for us and then run the possibility of missing out on the blessing of hearing from Him. I pray it does not take a hurting, previously tortured North Korean refugee for us to slow down and hear God’s heart for the suffering, the least, the last, the lost.

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.- Hebrews 13:3, NIV

I pray we allow God to use us to meet the needs of His people, to come alongside of them and let God embrace them through us. I pray we never tire of this kind of work, but that we know it serves an eternal purpose for His kingdom. I pray we give of ourselves selflessly, out of a radical selfless love for the message of Jesus Christ. I pray we become increasingly aware of just how powerful the love of Jesus Christ is, and how He is such a Redeemer. How will you allow God to use you in the lives of those who are suffering?