Danielle Finch shares how a visit from a Korean prayer team transformed her church and challenged her understanding of God’s global family. Their extraordinary commitment to praying for Britain became a powerful reminder that God is still at work in the UK – and that revival may not be as far away as we think.
A few weeks ago, our small church in Merseyside hosted a prayer team from Seoul, South Korea. The team of 12 gave up their own holidays and paid their own expenses to spend time earnestly praying for our churches, our town and our nation.
It is tempting to wonder why people on the other side of the world would feel burdened to intercede for our country. The answer lies largely in the incredible legacy of the UK Church in sending missionaries to nations where the gospel of Jesus Christ had not yet been preached. Many Korean Christians hold a deep gratitude for the courage and sacrifice of those missionaries who obediently took the gospel to Korean shores during the 19th century, resulting in salvations and God’s blessing across their land.
Pastor Choi, Senior Pastor at Kwangmyung Presbyterian Church in Seoul, has a great burden on his heart for the UK Church. During a time of private prayer, he received a powerful vision from the Lord of ashes, which he felt represented the spiritual condition of the UK Church. Yet God told him to blow on the ashes several times, and it was then that he saw a flame flickering beneath them. God had not finished with His Church in the UK; there was still hope in the land.
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Asking how he should respond, Pastor Choi felt that God was calling the Korean Church to be spiritual firewood, fanning the flame of revival in the UK.
Asking how he should respond, Pastor Choi felt that God was calling the Korean Church to be spiritual firewood, fanning the flame of revival in the UK. And so Korean Prayer Mission was born. Starting in 2010, teams of Korean Christians have partnered with churches across the UK (with a more recent focus on Wales) to spend a week dedicated to prayer.
I have heard it said that when we pray only for the things that concern us directly, we develop a very narrow view of God. In my own life, I have found this to be so true. When we seek the Lord only for our personal needs, we miss out on understanding His vastness and power.
Of course, we know that He cares for and provides for those needs, whether they relate to our careers, relationships or children. But by standing alongside Christians from the other side of the planet, regardless of language and cultural barriers, we were able to glimpse the majesty and magnitude of God.
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In John 13:34–35, Jesus tells us: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Spending time with the Korean prayer team, I have felt so loved.
Spending time with the Korean prayer team, I have felt so loved. To see people from a foreign land, face down before God, crying out for our nation was truly humbling. What an incredible example of the love that Jesus shows us. As a church, we were also able to serve them in return through our welcome and hospitality. The whole week felt like a beautiful picture of the unity God desires to see in His Church. God met with His people powerfully this week. Our incredible God, who spans the nations, cares deeply about each one of us and what we are going through.
The Korean team also visited the local council chambers and prayed with the Mayor, as well as meeting with and praying for our local MP, Sarah Pochin. In both of these situations, prayer was warmly welcomed and appreciated. My hope is that this would encourage the UK Church to consider how we might pray for, and become involved in, what many would consider a hostile political landscape.
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The word the Koreans had for us specifically was: “God is going to move in all spheres of life in Runcorn (family, economically, socially, politically and spiritually.) A wave of the Spirit is coming that is so big, the force will break down walls and wash away everything that is wrong, establishing what is right. Everything will be washed clean.” Amen to that.
This week has been a reminder not only to me, but to our whole church family, that our God is powerful and that the prayers of His people have the power to change situations. What an incredible privilege that our holy God invites us, as Christian women, to partner with Him in the work He is doing.
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
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