'God fought the battle for me': Pastor Son Hyun-bo speaks after his release from prison
Pastor Son Hyun-bo of the World Church in Busan, South Korea, spoke at an emergency prayer meeting held at his church after being released from prison following a court ruling on Jan. 30.
Citing Psalm 35:1, he said, "Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me."
"I prayed this prayer of David the most during the past five months, and it was a sure word that God gave me. Because I had the conviction that God would fight the battle for me, my heart was very peaceful. I didn't feel wronged at all. If God fights against those who fight against me, who can win?"
Pastor Son continued, "When we believe in God's Word, He acts according to our faith. Even while reading the Bible, if we think, 'This is not my problem,' [...] God will protect the Church. And no matter how much the extreme leftists act like that, if God fights for us, they will all be blown away by His breath. What is there to worry about?"
"When I had several consultations with the staff at the detention center, they said, 'We've been working here for over 30 years and are retiring soon, but we've never seen anyone like you, pastor.' People usually fidget and worry when they're here, but I said I was having fun."
"Even while I was there, God took care of everything, and since God fought the battle for me, there was nothing to worry about regarding the church. Because I prayed countless times and believed in this, everything was enjoyable," Pastor Son said.
“I watched President Lee Jae-myung’s New Year’s press conference. He was talking about me. As I listened, I prayed, ‘O God, contend with those who contend with me, and fight against those who fight against me.’”
“The president ordered an investigation into Protestant churches. ...
"He said he would crack down on and punish false platforms and fake news, but the president himself is doing just that. ... Will I step forward and fight? Will any church step forward and fight? Which minister would dare to say otherwise to that powerful regime? What can you and I do?”
“However, that’s the power of prayer, the power of faith," Pastor Son stressed. "Immediately after that press conference, my two sons were invited to the White House, where they briefed everyone for an hour-and-a-half and met with people from various fields. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok learned about all of this two days before he went to the United States.”
He continued: “I wasn’t given a death sentence, or even a 10-year sentence; it was actually nothing serious, but the deputy prime minister specifically singled me out and said, ‘Why was Pastor Son Hyun-bo arrested? This is unacceptable.’ He made it impossible for the prime minister not to make an announcement.”
“Does this seem like something that could happen through human power? Did I ever ask to be invited to the United States? Do I know anyone there? Yet, people from the U.S. came four times to visit me, and the U.S. Consul General in Busan even attended the trial. Could they have attended without a directive from their government?”
Regarding this, he said, “Diplomatic language is very cautious. Even when a tremendous event occurs, they say, ‘We express deep concern.’ That single word ‘deep’ means it’s an event serious enough to cause a war. That’s how diplomatic language works.”
“However, the chief consul attended the trial at the instruction of the State Department. We are not fighting this battle ourselves. If God fights for us, we are nothing.”
“Who can influence the U.S. vice president? Do we have any power? Yet, they supported us, and 10,000 American pastors signed a petition for us. It’s difficult to even get 1,000 signatures from pastors in our own country," he added. “When I try to do something, nothing works, but when God does it, He accomplishes in a week what a person couldn’t do in a lifetime.”
Pastor Son said that “church members also held one-person protests from summer to winter."
"Other lawyers said it was truly amazing and surprising,” he continued. “Although our actions may seem weak, we must never forget that God is still ruling the world. We are weak, but we must firmly believe the verse, ‘He will contend with those who contend with me, and He will fight against those who fight against me.’ I prayed, ‘God, please do it; I will rest peacefully here.’”
“The solitary confinement cell was so small I couldn’t even stretch my arms, but I was so grateful that I cried. How happy the leftists would be if I complained about aches and pains everywhere,” Pastor Son said. “The Bible says that God prospered Joseph even when he was in prison. I’ve been in the military, and this is like a hotel compared to that. If I were crying there, wouldn’t the lawyers and church members be heartbroken? We must believe the biblical verse that all things work together for good.”
He said, “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and up to now, there have been many times when we shed tears, but looking back, God has given us grace. That foundation was laid, leading to the historic event of a million people gathering on October 27th. This was achieved because of COVID-19. People participated because they felt sorry for us, and that's why we were able to do Save Korea.”
“Although I went to prison, we don't know what God will accomplish. We need faith. If we have faith, there's nothing to worry about, and nothing to be uncomfortable about.”
Finally, he said, “I am truly grateful to the pastors, elders, and each and every one of you for your prayers. When you pray, you must believe in those prayers. God works according to our faith,” he continued. “I read all the letters from the students and prayed for them. Our children have matured quickly. Because we suffered hardships here, our children are thinking about things that other college students don't even consider.”
This article was originally published at Christian Today Korea
