Recently I came across a moving prayer written by Missionary Horace G. Underwood, who served in Korea from 1885 to 1916, more than half of his life. Despite the enormous culture gap and language barrier, he didn't give up, and God most definitely answered his desperate prayers for Korea. Read the prayer below and decide for yourself.
Title: The Heart of Chosun (조선, Korea's old name) That I Cannot Comprehend
“Lord, nothing is visible at this moment. Lord, you have planted us on this barren and poor land, where not even a single tree can grow tall enough.
It is such a miracle that we could come to this land across the wide wide Pacific Ocean. Nothing is visible, though, in this land on which we seem to have been dropped off by your hand.
Only stubbornly stained darkness can be seen.
Only Korean people chained with poverty and superstition can be seen.
They don't even know why they are chained, what suffering is.
They just distrust us and express anger to us as we tell them
how to take away their suffering, which is not suffering to them.
The thoughts of Korean men are not visible.
The mind of this government is not visible.
We are afraid that we may not have any more opportunity
to see the women commuting on kamas (가마, a cart covered and carried by men).
And we do not see what to do.
Yet, Lord! We will obey.
We believe that you begin your work as we humbly obey,
And that the day will come when our spiritual eyes will see your work
according to your Words, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
We believe that we will see the future of the faith of Korea.
Although we are as if standing on a desert with bare hands,
although we are condemned to be Western devils,
We believe that the day will come when they will rejoice with tears realizing
that they are one with our spirit in Christ, and that we all have one Kingdom and one Father in Heaven.
Although there is no church to worship you, no school to study,
although this land is filled with doubt of suspicion, contempt, and disdain,
we believe that in the near future this land will become a land of blessing.”
100 years later, Korea indeed has become ‘a land of blessing,’ the world’s second-largest missionary-sending nation after US. Thank you, Missionary Underwood, for your faithful prayers for Korea!
From Pastor Sara’s Heart
November 17, 2013