God still uses deserts.
Koreans, by their very culture and nature, love Korea. Most love Korea, Korean culture, the Korean language, and Kimchi (spicy, fermented cabbage ... I know, right?) to a fault. Korea can do no wrong, and no country compares to the beauty and sanctity of Korea.
Korea is truly a beautiful country. It seems that every small city has its roots in a small village/community way of life. Mountains separate the valleys - where people live.
God has always been on the mountains. Moses climbed the mountain to meet God. Korean pastors climb prayer mountain when church finances are tight. Buddhist temples are tucked away in the mountains. People live in the valleys; God lives on the mountain.
So, it came as no surprise when Pastor Jeong Byong Han was quite perplexed that God would label a flat desert "holy ground."
Exodus 3:5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
Pastor Jeong quoted this verse after explaining his trip to the Holy Land. He continued, "This was not a beautiful place. No mountains. No green. No gardens. Just the desert. But it was holy ground."
We are reminded that God is a paradox and we live in the tension.
The whole of the Bible, save Eden, is written within the context of arrid wasteland. And God still acts. God still changes the world.
God doesn't call the equipped, he equipps the called. My friend Dillon, a fellow missionary, was an accountant before he came here to teach. The stories of his first few classes are comically pitiful. But God had him here for a reason and he adapted incredibly well. After a year here he speaks Korean better than some foreigners who have been here for years, and the Korean teachers and students refer to him as "the professor" his teaching has improved so much.
God moves and works in the desert places of our lives. God doesn't wait for lush tropical mountains to find beauty. God still uses deserts.
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