June 2025

I Pray for You

As light returns and the sun shines brightly, warming the earth, flowers burst into full bloom and vibrant green leaves dance in the gentle breeze—the season of renewal has arrived. Amidst the vivid beauty of summer, I feel a quiet joy rising within me. The birds’ cheerful songs echo the promise of resurrection.

Yet, alongside this beauty, I hear other sounds—requests for prayer, the weight of new diagnoses and illness. In these moments, I often find myself at a loss for words. As a pastor, I frequently say, “I pray for you,” but sometimes I wonder—am I hiding behind these words? Still, the faces and stories of those who ask for prayer remain with me.

I remember when my father fell seriously ill when I was 15, and he was just under 50. He had to quit his job and stayed home, worried about his future and our family's. Ironically, it was during this time that I experienced God’s grace most profoundly through my church, a memory that remains vivid. Church friends would bring food, money, and mysterious herbs from the mountains (which I'm not sure if they worked), and visit to encourage my father (sometimes abruptly) to seek medical care again. Looking back, it becomes clearer that God was present with us through these acts.

Reflecting on the experience of losing one’s health, a question from writer Yann Martel resonates with me: “Why does God extend grace to the human body?” Losing health is a deeply painful experience, and God intimately understands this struggle. Through Jesus, God demonstrated the depth of His love for humanity and His profound understanding of our suffering.

God entered into human suffering, becoming one with our fragility. This is the mystery of the Incarnation: God became flesh and lived as a human like us. God does not ignore our suffering. Through this mystery, God offers grace—the power that restores our relationship with the divine. It reconciles us to the Holy One and draws us toward wholeness, greater love.

In Jesus’s time, sickness was often seen as a sign of sin or divine punishment. People were isolated from their communities due to their illness, labeled, and even blamed. Sadly, such labeling persists in subtle ways today. Can you imagine the pain of being seen only through the lens of illness or blame? Can you imagine how many still carry that burden?

But Jesus reminds us this is not the truth. He consistently reached out to those who were suffering. “You are not forsaken.” “Do not be afraid.” “I am with you.” Nothing—not suffering, pain, illness, or even death—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

So when I say, “I pray for you,” I mean it deeply. We are not alone. We are held—together—in God. We are one in prayer. We are one in Christ. And even when we feel broken, God’s light finds every crack—and shines through.

Warmly, 

Rev. Hyunwoong Hwang