Story of an anonymous child martyr (died around 1943)
Who wrote the following prayer? No one knows. It was scrawled on a scrap of paper and placed inside the clothing of a child who was killed at Ravensbruck, a concentration camp where the Nazis killed thousands of innocent people. Whoever wrote the prayer may have died in the same gas chamber as the child.
O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will,
but also those of ill will.
But, do not remember all of the suffering
they have inflicted upon us:
Instead remember the fruits we have borne
because of this suffering—
our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility,
our courage, our generosity,
the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble.
When our persecutors come to be judged by you,
let all of these fruits that we have borne
be their forgiveness.
Scripture Meditation
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34 ESV
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:24-25 ESV
How about you? Do you live as one who loves or hates their life in this world?
Ask the Lord to show you what temporal things you might be holding tightly onto that keeps you from experiencing God’s eternal life and blessings.
If there is someone with “ill will” in your life (whether it is towards you or not), pray for them today.
Specific Prayer Need
Last year VOM Korea’s discipleship school student, Mrs. Choi, was murdered. This year, we met the North Korean man who killed her when we went on a visitation to one of the prisons in South Korea. Through this, we were able to connect better with the police as well as learn a little more of the backstory of Mrs. Choi. Although Mrs. Choi’s death was very tragic, we were thankful to see how the Lord was already working on this man’s heart. He will be in prison for a long-time, but we are hopeful that the Lord will use this broken man to share the gospel with other North Korean prisoners. Please pray for him.
