Set the captives free

On Christmas day most of us were celebrating the birth of Christ with our family and friends. We all have different traditions. One of the traditions we have established in our family is hanging stockings from the fireplace so that family members can put small gifts in the stocking. Here in Tucson, since we normally don’t have any snow, the stockings hanging from the fireplace with Bing in the background makes it seem a little like a White Christmas. But on December 25th 2009 a determined young man names Robert Park walked across the border of North Korea and declared that he was an American and that he wanted them to know that God loves them. He also delivered a letter addressed to the supreme leader Kim Jong II asking him to release the 200,000 political prisoners and allow aid to flow into the North to rescue the starving people. In America where we are used to very nasty demonstrations of free speech including comparing our president to Hitler and railing against the military industrial complex, this seems rather mild. We have now received reports that Robert Park was instantly beaten within an inch of his life and that he will take months to recover. The North Korean government is in a quandary about what to do with Park since his demands go to the core their wicked regime. Robert’s emails before he made his brave entrance on Christmas day were filled with reports from North Korean refugees of the terrible condition of the people. Though Kim Jong II feasts on lobster millions of people are starving. Though they pour tremendous resources into their military and nuclear weapons program, disease is rampant and medical care only for the elite. There only major export is nuclear weapons and they are indiscriminant about what rogue nations receive these weapons of mass destruction. North Korea defies the world even though all they have been asked to do is give up a nuclear weapons program in exchange a free flow of food, medical supplies and opening up trade. Why wouldn’t they do this and become a prosperous nation like their relatives to the south? I believe it is because Kim Jong II and his compatriots are not motivated by economics they are blinded by ambition and satanic influence. Kim’s father boldly proclaimed before his death that there were no more Christians left in North Korea (he thought they were all killed or imprisoned). Their hatred for Christians is similar to Hitler’s hatred for the Jews, perhaps there is a common denominator. Is it possible that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”? If so then we need to do what it says in Ephesians 6 and put on the full armor of God and engage in this spiritual warfare through prayer and standing firm for what is right. In the comfort of our country it is easy to forget the pain and suffering of others. One thing that the earthquake in Haiti has done is focusing us for a moment on the suffering of the Haitian people. The outpouring has been amazing and I have no doubt that the needs of the people will be met. Please pray for Robert Park that he would be strong and courageous and that the people of North Korea would be set free.