In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Rev. Dr. Jung-Hyun Oh, the senior pastor of the Korean SaRang Church, urged deeper prayer for Christians.
Citing Colossians 1: 10-11, the megachurch pastor said that we should take Paul's prayer as an example and pray to God to give us the ability to endure longsuffering and be persistent, not just to change the environment. Meanwhile, be joyful and grateful.
Pastor Oh shared, "Paul's prayer to God is: May all saints live with a mission that is well-pleasing to God. Everything is getting better; everything is updated and everything goes well. But more importantly, I need to experience change myself. No matter what the environment is, plead with God to enable you to live the life of a person with a mission that is well-pleasing to Him."
"In order to better take the mission that is well-pleasing to God, we are not going to change the environment, but we are going to plead with God for longsuffering and persistence." Pastor Oh added, "So that we can suffer long and be persistent, and take on this mission by faith. A change in the environment does not mean that the problem has been solved. First of all, we should arm ourselves with deeper prayers. In the raging period of COVID-19, one of the important problems in our life is that we have become too self-centered. As we become self-centered, our discernibility and judgment are reduced. Consequentially, our thoughts are controlled and we become unable to obey Christ. Therefore, let us pray to God with wishes in our mind: Father God, please help me not to make self-centered prayers, but to have the prayers that are well-pleasing to You."
Meanwhile, he mentioned that joy, prayer, and gratitude should be three in one.
"As we pray without ceasing, we can give thanks in everything, and in doing so, we can pray without ceasing. With such virtuous cycle, we can naturally have expressions that are unknown to the world and full of joy. Hallelujah!"
"Be alert with grace, we can keep praying". Pastor Oh said, "Through deep prayer, we can offer endless gratitude to God. This gratitude will lead us into a deeper and never-ending prayer. What happens after entering such a virtuous cycle? Everything around me can be interpreted with prayer. In the countless persecutions and thick darkness, all the things in my life that people see as suffering and misfortune are wonderfully connected with gratitude."
"Even if we can't have gratitude, we will still try to. We should first have gratitude even when things are not done. When we hand out our first without fear, what will happen? May God make us live a life that is well-pleasing to Him! When we make different interpretations through deep prayers, when we don't make self-centered prayers, but have prayers that are well-pleasing to God, even as we can't get rid of these unspeakable sufferings, these sufferings will all work together to achieve joy, gratitude and goodness in us through this deep prayer."
Finally, he also reminded us that praiseful words such as "great" and "amazing" are nothing more than human evaluation. In the end, we still have to face the Lord by ourselves.
He concluded, "At that time, it would be best if we kept the life that is well-pleasing to God. May we enter this deep prayer and live a life with mission, giving glory to God! May God give each of us tailor-made grace!"
针对新冠疫情不断反扑的环境下，韩国“爱的教会”主任牧师吴牧师劝勉大家要进行更深层次的祷告。
借着经文哥罗西书1：10-11，他说，要以保罗的祷告为榜样，祈求神赐给我们忍耐和坚持的能力，而不只是改变环境；同时，还要心存喜乐和感恩。
吴牧师分享说：“保罗立定心志向神献上的祷告是：愿众圣徒都能带着蒙神喜悦的使命去生活。所有环境好转起来，一切都被更新，万事顺遂，这样固然很好。但更重要的是，我自己需要经历改变。无论所处的环境如何，求神使我们能够过蒙神喜悦的使命者的生活。”
“为了更好地担负起蒙神喜悦的使命，我们要做的不是去改变环境，而是先向神求忍耐与坚持的能力。”吴牧师继续说：“好使我们可以恒久忍耐、坚持不懈，靠着信心担当起这使命。环境的改变并不等于问题得到解决。我们首先要通过深层次且深沉的祷告来武装自己。生活在新冠肆虐的时期，我们生活中出现的重要问题之一，就是我们都变得太以自我为中心了。因想法变得以自我为中心，导致分辨力下降了，判断力下降了。从而，我们的思想被人左右，变得无法顺服在基督面前。所以，今天让我们心怀所愿，向神祷告：父神，求您帮助我不去做以自我为中心的祷告，而能够献上蒙神喜悦的使命者的祷告。”
同时，吴牧师提到，喜乐、祷告、谢恩要成为 “三位一体”。
“因着不住地祷告我们才能凡事谢恩，因着凡事谢恩我们才能不住地祷告，如此良性循环，我们才能自然而然地发出世人不得而知且充满喜乐的感叹，哈利路亚！”
“存着感恩的心警醒，就能进行持续不断的祷告”。吴牧师说：“通过深层次的祷告，得以向神献上无尽的感恩。这感恩又会带我们进入永不止息的更深层次的祷告之中。进入这样的良性循环会发生什么事呢？那就是我周遭的一切环境，都可以在祷告的层面上进行解读了。在人生无数的低谷迫害和逼迫中，我生命中所有在人看为是苦难和不幸的事，都奇妙地与感恩相连。”
“即使无法感恩仍竭力感恩，事虽未成却先行感恩，无所畏惧献上完全的感恩时，通过这感恩会发生什么事呢？愿神使我们活出蒙神喜悦的人生！当我们通过深层次的祷告作出不一样的解读时，当我们不作以自我为中心的祷告，而是献上蒙神喜悦的祷告时，我们虽然无法脱离这些无可言喻的苦难，但借着这深沉的祷告，这些苦难会All Together互相效力在我们身上成就喜乐、感恩与美善。”
最后，吴牧师也提醒到，别人口中的“了不起”、“真厉害”无非只是评价而已，最终，我们还是要自己来面对主。
“那时，若我们持守了蒙神喜悦的使命者的生活，便是最好。愿我们进入到这深层次的祷告境界，过将荣耀归与神的使命者的生活！愿神赐给我们每一位量身定做的恩典！”
韩国“爱的教会”吴牧师劝勉：后疫情时代要进行深层次的祷告
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Rev. Dr. Jung-Hyun Oh, the senior pastor of the Korean SaRang Church, urged deeper prayer for Christians.
Citing Colossians 1: 10-11, the megachurch pastor said that we should take Paul's prayer as an example and pray to God to give us the ability to endure longsuffering and be persistent, not just to change the environment. Meanwhile, be joyful and grateful.
Pastor Oh shared, "Paul's prayer to God is: May all saints live with a mission that is well-pleasing to God. Everything is getting better; everything is updated and everything goes well. But more importantly, I need to experience change myself. No matter what the environment is, plead with God to enable you to live the life of a person with a mission that is well-pleasing to Him."
"In order to better take the mission that is well-pleasing to God, we are not going to change the environment, but we are going to plead with God for longsuffering and persistence." Pastor Oh added, "So that we can suffer long and be persistent, and take on this mission by faith. A change in the environment does not mean that the problem has been solved. First of all, we should arm ourselves with deeper prayers. In the raging period of COVID-19, one of the important problems in our life is that we have become too self-centered. As we become self-centered, our discernibility and judgment are reduced. Consequentially, our thoughts are controlled and we become unable to obey Christ. Therefore, let us pray to God with wishes in our mind: Father God, please help me not to make self-centered prayers, but to have the prayers that are well-pleasing to You."
Meanwhile, he mentioned that joy, prayer, and gratitude should be three in one.
"As we pray without ceasing, we can give thanks in everything, and in doing so, we can pray without ceasing. With such virtuous cycle, we can naturally have expressions that are unknown to the world and full of joy. Hallelujah!"
"Be alert with grace, we can keep praying". Pastor Oh said, "Through deep prayer, we can offer endless gratitude to God. This gratitude will lead us into a deeper and never-ending prayer. What happens after entering such a virtuous cycle? Everything around me can be interpreted with prayer. In the countless persecutions and thick darkness, all the things in my life that people see as suffering and misfortune are wonderfully connected with gratitude."
"Even if we can't have gratitude, we will still try to. We should first have gratitude even when things are not done. When we hand out our first without fear, what will happen? May God make us live a life that is well-pleasing to Him! When we make different interpretations through deep prayers, when we don't make self-centered prayers, but have prayers that are well-pleasing to God, even as we can't get rid of these unspeakable sufferings, these sufferings will all work together to achieve joy, gratitude and goodness in us through this deep prayer."
Finally, he also reminded us that praiseful words such as "great" and "amazing" are nothing more than human evaluation. In the end, we still have to face the Lord by ourselves.
He concluded, "At that time, it would be best if we kept the life that is well-pleasing to God. May we enter this deep prayer and live a life with mission, giving glory to God! May God give each of us tailor-made grace!"
Korean Megachurch Pastor Urged Deeper Pray in Post-Pandemic Era
