Heaven Answers My Needs

A while back when it was possible to purchase a nice house in Gimcheon with only 350,000 won, I leased a house for 200,000 won. Having just been discharged from the army, I knew nothing about how the world was running. I used the rest of my 150,000 won for witnessing and holding Bible seminars.

However, the owner of the house who was addicted to gambling ran away when the house was repossessed by the bank. Just because I was a righteous child of God didn’t mean that I didn’t face any difficulties. A month later, the branch manager of the bank came to meet me. He wanted me to move out as soon as possible. Having nowhere to go, I was dumbfounded, and I fell prostrate, praying to God. “Father God, because I know nothing about the going-ons of the world, I made a mistake. What should I do? Surely, you can’t be happy, having your servant sleep under a bridge. Please give me a house.” There was no answer. After praying for a day, God gave me the heart to go out and look for a home. Walking around the city, I found a nice second story building with a spacious hall and several rooms. The advertisement said that the place was available for 200,000 won.

More time passed. I was told that the bank’s branch manager had come by several times while I was at Bible Seminars. One early morning, as I was setting out to go to another seminar, the branch manager came by to meet me.

“Why is it so hard to meet you?”

“I’m busy. I’m on my way to hold a Bible Seminar.”

“You don’t have time to talk?”

“I’m really busy right now.”

“Oh well. Then I’ll go with you.”

The branch manager followed me onto the bus.

“Mr. Park, being a branch manager is not an easy job. I leased the building to your landlord without even knowing his circumstances.”

If I told him that I believed in God, I thought he would pick on me, saying, “How could a person who believes in God be like this…” So I thought it would be better to not to beat around the bushes. But while praying, God spoke to my heart, “Can you take care of this on your own?”

“Lord, how could I solve this problem on my own? You must solve it for me.”

“Then testify so.”

So I said to the branch manager, “Mister branch manager, I’m not saying that I won’t move out, nor am I trying to get back money that I deposited. I simply have nowhere to go at the moment. I’ve reported my situation to my master, but he has yet to give me any orders. So please just bear with me until my owner gives me an order.”

“Mr. Park, you had a master?”

“Yes.”

“Who is your master?”

“My master is very good. He is Jesus Christ.”

The branch manager’s eyes widened and he said, “Mr. Park, you’re that kind of a person?” I spoke to him about the many times that God helped me. He then grabbed my hand and said, “Mr. Park, I am not a religious person, but hearing your stories makes me feel something. Anyhow, please pray more so this problem can be resolved quickly.”

I could forget all of my worries when leading a Bible Seminar, but once I got home, I would start to worry. Many times, I went up to the attic in my home to pray. I unconsciously cried and shouted as I prayed. One day, while I was praying God gave me the heart to go back to the second-story house that I previously visited. I imagined the house to have been taken since it was a nice place with cheap rent, but the sign still said, “For rent.” I thought, “God is trying to give me a house,” so I decided to move there without a penny in my pocket. The owner was not home, so I told the children of the house to tell their father that someone wants to rent out the second floor, and I visited them again that night.

“I came for the second floor rent.”

“Oh, you’re the one that came by earlier?”

“Yes.”

I explained to the landlord, “I am a servant of God. I came to this city to preach the Gospel, but the owner of the house I am currently living in has issues, so I must move out. It’s been a month since I’ve prayed to God about this problem, and I feel that God wants to give me this house. I have no money. If you would like, please let me live here. But please don’t pity me. I have no doubts that God has prepared another home for me, if this isn’t the place He wants me to be.”

After listening to my story, the landlord thought long and hard with his eyes closed and finally opened his mouth.

“I’m the elder of the Jijwa Church in the town of Jijwa. God has given me such a nice building by the national highway, so how can I deny renting this place out to a servant of God who needs it? Use it.”

Was this a dream? The elder’s daughter was playing hymns on the piano, and it made me unable to distinguish whether what just happened was a dream or reality. Tears began to fall from my eyes. I was so thankful! As I turned to leave, the elder grabbed my hand and said, “But if you come completely empty handed, it’ll be uncomfortable for the both of us, so I’d like for you to bring some money, regardless of the amount.” I said, “Then I’ll give you 80,000 won.” I covered my mouth with my hands, but it was too late. 80,000 won was such a large amount of money. The elder said, “Very well.”

I decided to move in a week later. Once again, I knelt down and prayed.

“Lord, I blurted out that I would bring 80,000 won. Please take responsibility for it.”

Even at the slightest sound of the front gates, I would imagine someone had come to give me some money. A day, two days, three days passed, but I still had no way to pay the rent.

On the fifth day, a lady came by saying, “I’m pretty sure it’s this house…” She turned out to be someone I knew. Before I began living in my current home, she had paid 50,000 won as down payment for the house, but after the house was taken by the bank, she canceled the contract. Afterwards, I had gone to her home several times to get the contract fee, but she seemed to be living a very difficult life.

“Sir, please take our closet. I have no money to give you.”

I had thought to myself, “It’s useless trying to get money from her,” and had forgotten about it. But now, after two years, she had come to see me.

“Sir, I’m really sorry I couldn’t pay you all this time. The debt collectors came to my home every day because I had so much debt. Of all the people I owe money to, I know I need to pay you back. I have 40,000 won today and brought it here, since only God knows where it’ll go once I take it home.” I’ll give you 40,000 won for now and give you 10,000 won later.”

She had brought 40,000 won in 500 won coins, wrapped in a handkerchief. I counted it more than a hundred times. I felt, “This is surely sent from the Lord. That means God will take care of the rest.”

That evening, I went to meet the branch manager of the bank. “Mr. Branch manager, God allowed me to move to a new home. I’ll be moving two days from now. Please come.”

“Mr. Park, I’m a father myself, and I feel like I’m blocking your path, so I feel sorry. I’m trying to run for the National Assembly...Mr. Park, please don’t think badly of me.”

He then went to a safe and counted some money.

“Mr. Park, just think of this as good-will.” I was so thankful, and I accepted it, saying, “Thank you.” He asked me to have some tea before I left, but I couldn’t stay any longer because I was so curious how much he had given me. I counted the money as soon as I turned the corner. It was 10,000 won. I couldn’t help but to praise God. I had to get 30,000 won within two days, but I was not worried at all. A little while later, a friend called me.

“I heard you’ve been going through some tough times lately, and I’m sorry I couldn’t help you out as a friend. I just started my business, so I’m not doing so well either, but I have 20,000 won lying around, so youcan use it. If you can, you can pay it back. If you can’t, that’s too bad.”

I got 20,000 won from a friend I had not even thought of. I also gathered some brothers who were working with me for the Gospel and asked them for some money. When I emptied out all my pockets and gathered all my coins, I had close to 8,000 won. I somehow gathered 80,000 won and was able to move in to the new home.

I moved on a very cloudy day. I let some brothers do the moving, and I went out to witness. I preached the Gospel for almost the whole day at someone’s home. When I came out around 4pm, it was drizzling. The lady of the house said worriedly,

“Oh, no, it’s raining. We don’t have an umbrella...Why don’t you leave when the rain stops a bit?”

“It’s okay. I’m sure Jesus was rained on often when he was on this Earth.”

I left the house with the Bible hugged to my chest, so it wouldn’t get wet. While walking home, getting rained on, I thought of Jesus.

“Lord, when you were on this Earth, you must not have had a room for yourself. Where did you take shelter on rainy days like these? During the day you preached at the Jerusalem Temple, and you slept without a room at the Mount of Olives at night. When it would rain, where did you take shelter? Lord, you didn’t even have a room on this Earth, but who am I but a worthless servant that you think of me and prepare shelter for me!”

I could not stop my tears from falling.

Ever since I received forgiveness of sins, the Lord has never left my side and has always looked after me. During my ministry, there were many temptations, but because I am a servant of God, I was not shaken and was led only by God’s hands. I have assurance that ‘Heaven answers my needs.’