Pray for the peace that only Jesus can bring to the nation of Korea. Pray that these countries can once again be united and live in the freedom that only God can give.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt 5:9)

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Dozens of diverse Christian leaders in the United States have come together to pray that possible diplomatic talks with North Korea will soon lead to peace on the Korean peninsula.

“We call on all Christians everywhere to join us in praying for a just and peaceful resolution,” wrote the group, which includes National Association of Evangelicals president Leith Anderson, Sojourners president Jim Wallis, author Eric Metaxas, and Evangelicals for Social Action executive director Nikki Toyama-Szeto.

“We pray for wisdom for our political, diplomatic and military leaders as they work across differences toward a goal of peace, security and freedom. We pray that God will bless the efforts of citizens who seek to bridge the vast differences between our countries.”

Their statement was released Tuesday, less than three weeks after President Donald Trump announced possible plans to meet with Kim Jong-un this spring. Johnnie Moore, one of the signatories and the unofficial head of Trump’s evangelical advisers, said the North Korea situation has often come up in their prayers at the White House….

Evangelicals are more hopeful than the rest of Americans that leaders can successfully negotiate to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. In a Politico/Morning Consult poll from mid-March, 48 percent of self-identified evangelicals were confident in negotiations, compared to 40 percent of US voters overall….

A representative for the advocacy group Open Doors wrote for CT last week on the potential for negotiations to address North Korea’s harrowing human rights record and to free the three Americans being detained in the country.

“Christianity is regarded as a political crime, and it is punished like one,” a North Korean refugee said in the piece. “There is a great risk to hold the Bible in North Korea. The children, young and old, would not imagine talking about the Bible.”

Pyongyang was once known as “the Jerusalem of the East.” Korean Christians living in North America have been among the few to regularly visit the communist country and offer humanitarian aid, such as missionary Kenneth Bae, Toronto pastor Hyeon-Soo Lim, and professors at a private university in Pyongyang.

South Korea, the leaders’ statement points out, is home to some of the world’s largest megachurches and have dedicated ministries to praying for and helping North Korea…. (Excerpts from Kate Shellnutt’s article in Christianity Today)