Pray for hidden Christian Believers
An unknown number of Christian Believers follow Jesus Christ in secret, many of them the children and grandchildren of an earlier Church. They cannot gather openly, cannot safely own Scripture, and often cannot tell even their own families what they believe.
Father, You see every hidden Christian Believer. Protect them, comfort them in their isolation, and let them know that not one of them is forgotten by You.
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day;
Psalm 139:12
Pray for those in prison camps
Christian Believers who are discovered face imprisonment in labor camps, and the danger often extends to their relatives. Pray for those imprisoned for their faith, and for families who do not know where their loved ones are.
Lord, strengthen those in prison, sustain them in suffering, and bring freedom to the captives.
Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
Psalm 146:7
Pray for those who serve from outside
Pray for those who serve North Korea from beyond its borders through radio broadcasts, prayer, and quiet acts of care, and for their wisdom, protection, and perseverance.
Lord Jesus, open doors for Your Word that no human power can close.
meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
Colossians 4:3
Pray for those who have fled
Many North Koreans who escape live in hiding and uncertainty, and some are exploited along the way. Pray for their protection, for those who help them, and for those who have found new lives elsewhere to encounter Jesus Christ.
Father, bring those who have fled out of danger, and lead them to the freedom found in Jesus Christ.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces.
Psalm 107:14
Capital: Pyongyang
Religions: traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, with small Christian and Chondogyo communities; independent religious activity is effectively prohibited
People groups: 5
Unreached people groups: 2
Unreached frontier people groups: 0
North Korea is among the most closed nations on earth, and for many years it has been ranked at or near the very top of the world’s lists for the persecution of Christian Believers. To own a Bible or gather for worship can cost a person their freedom, and often the freedom of their whole family.
Koreans
The Korean people make up almost the entire population, some 26.2 million within the country. Korean is the language of the whole nation, and literacy is high.
State ideology occupies the place religion holds elsewhere, and loyalty to the leadership is taught from childhood as the highest duty.
It was not always so. Before the division of the peninsula, Pyongyang was known as a center of Christian faith, with so many churches that some called it the Jerusalem of the East. That history is now suppressed, but it is not forgotten.
North Korea has 5 people groups, 2 of which are unreached. Around 26.3 million people, more than 99% of the population, live in unreached groups.
Independent religious activity is effectively prohibited. Christian Believers cannot gather openly, Scripture cannot circulate freely, and those who are discovered face imprisonment, with the danger often extending to their relatives.
From childhood, North Koreans are taught that their ultimate loyalty belongs elsewhere, and many have never heard the name of Jesus Christ in any meaningful way.
Because Korean is spoken by the whole nation, one clear witness in Korean could reach every person in the country. Yet God’s Word reaches North Koreans mainly through radio broadcasts across the border, through materials carried at great risk, and through contact with Christian Believers outside the country.
Pray for the Korean people of the north
Pray for North Koreans who have been taught from childhood that ultimate loyalty belongs elsewhere, that God would reveal Jesus Christ to them.
Father, shine Your light into North Korean hearts, and let them see Your glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6
Pray for God’s Word to reach North Korea
Pray for radio and digital Scripture, for safe ways to place God’s Word in the hands of those who seek it, and for what is heard to take root and bear fruit.
Lord, carry Your Word across every border and barrier, and let it run swiftly.
He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.
Psalm 147:15
Pray for the next generation
Pray for children growing up knowing nothing of Jesus Christ, that they would hear of Him, and that God would raise up a new generation of Korean Christian Believers.
Father, let North Korea’s children be taught by You, and give them Your peace.
All your children shall be taught by the Lord, And great shall be the peace of your children.
Isaiah 54:13
Pray for the impossible
No human plan can open this nation. Pray for God to do what only He can do, and for the day when His people worship openly in Pyongyang again.
Lord, breathe new life into the Church in North Korea, and let it live again.
Thus says the Lord God to these bones: ‘Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.’
Ezekiel 37:5
Lord Jesus, our Refuge,
We pray for North Korea, a nation closed to the world, where following You can cost everything. You know every person by name: every city, every village, every prison camp, and every person who has never heard the Gospel. You know each hidden Christian Believer, and not one is forgotten by You.
Raise up those who will serve this people by every means still open. Carry Your Word across every border and barrier. Sustain those who follow You in secret, strengthen those in prison, and comfort the families who do not know where their loved ones are. Protect those who have fled, and move among North Korea’s children so that they hear of You.
For those who have never heard, send someone. Let churches rise again where they once stood, let disciples multiply where You are not known, and let North Korea become a testimony of Your grace among the nations.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
