Although Christianity is widely accepted, Buddhism is still the predominant faith in South Korea. I have seen little pieces of it everywhere we travel – evidence that there is still a great need here for the Spirit of God.
In the Garden of the Morning Calm, which I posted about earlier, we noted that everywhere there were stones balanced on top of one another. Each stone represents a prayer or a wish for luck and good fortune to be bestowed upon the person who stacks the stones.
At Nami Island, we noticed a feast laid out as a sacrifice to General Nami. The feast is laid out for him in hopes that he will send rain and protection to the island.
And finally, this past weekend we noticed several people lighting candles underneath rocks at the beach. These candles are lit for a few different reasons. One is to meditate on the light in order to be enlightened. Another reason is to remember deceased ancestors.
1 Timothy 2:5-6 says that, “There is one God, and one mediator between God and man.” I wish that I had the words to share this with so many people along our various journeys. The prayers of these people are misdirected. The peace and comfort that they search for in these rituals can be found in Christ alone.
I serve a God that does not require a sacrifice of food, or daily rituals. He requires only surrender. Perhaps this idea of surrender scares many people because of what is going on around them in neighboring countries. Perhaps they do not wish to give up their lifestyle (more on that later). Or perhaps they don’t see their need for God.
I cannot communicate with them, but I can pray. Not to my ancestors and not to Buddha, but to my God who hears me. . You can pray as well that God would open the eyes of these people to their need for a living God who answer their prayers. They desperately need to see that God is Jehovah Jirah, the God who Provides. They need to know that God is El Tephillah, the God who Hears Prayer. They need to know that he is El Shaddai, the All Sufficient God and that they do not need to rely on any other god but Him. He is the only one who will hear their prayer, and the only one who will answer.
The Airman's Wife 