We Must Continue To Pray!

*Update!*
Sept. 1, 2007 - The remaining South Korean Christian missionaries who were held by the Taliban as hostages for six weeks in Afghanistan arrived in Seoul. Two of the original 23 captives had been executed by the Taliban. For their return, South Korea agreed to withdraw its 200 non-combat troops from Afghanistan, who did mostly engineering and medical work; and promised to halt all Christian missionary work in Afghanistan.

Thank you, Father, for Your hand upon these brothers and sisters in Christ, and for bringing them home to their families and loved ones. We pray Your peace and comfort, and healing, for each and every one of them, and the families of those martyred in Your name.


Previous Post, Aug. 9, 2007:
Pray for the South Korean Christians being held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Here's what Josh Harris had to say:

"Today a friend in Afghanistan passed on some suggestions for prayer, so I post them here for anyone who wants to join this brother and Christians around the world in praying to our great God. He writes:
- Join our Korean brothers and sisters in asking that above all, God will be honored and glorified through what has already happened and all that will take place over the coming days. Ask for a revival in this land as well as in Korea. (Phil. 1:18-21)
- Pray for strength, perseverance, and faith for those in captivity. Pray that their faith may not waver. Pray for boldness, joy, and patience. (Eph. 3:14-20)
- Many, if not all, of those being held are suffering from health problems. Two of the young ladies are very sick and will likely die soon if they don't get medical treatment. Pray that God will heal them and sustain them. Those of you who have visited Afghanistan before know how easy it is to get sick even when you drink clean water and eat good food. Knowing that these brothers and sisters have likely not had clean drinking water at all and likely don't have much food or any medicine, I imagine most of them are suffering greatly.
- These hostages have unexpected access to a very dark group of people that have likely never been around true believers. I'm sure they are praying, singing, and worshiping as often as possible. Ask that their testimony will soften the hearts and touch the lives of their captors. May they know that there is something incredibly different about the people they are holding.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit will protect each captive's mind and spirit during this ordeal. As they are faced with day after day of fear, uncertainty, and death, pray that this won't have a lasting effect on their hearts and minds."

And pray for the two pastors that have already been martyred, yes, martyred, for Christ's sake. Here's what a recent National Review article had to say:

"The blood of innocent Christian missionaries spills on Afghan sands. The world watches and yawns. The United Nations offers nothing more than a formal expression of “concern.” Where is the global uproar over the human-rights abuses unfolding before our eyes? . . . Two men, 29-year-old Shim Sung-min and 42-year-old Pastor Bae Hyeong-gyu, have already been shot to death and dumped in the name of Allah. Bae was a married father with a nine-year-old daughter." (Michelle Malkin, Silently Martyred: Missionary blood spills, the world yawns, National Review, August 01, 2007) Read the full article.