The scenes from the earthquake in Türkiye I saw on the news looked like a scene from a disaster movie. This tragedy, which claimed tens of thousands of lives in an instant and reduced entire cities to ruins, was an indescribable shock. Missionary David Cha shared the shocking news that the death toll, including unaccounted casualties, could reach 200,000. Hearing the analogy that it was as if the entire population of Songdo, Incheon, where I live, had vanished, made the horror feel even more real.

While the missionary’s perspective can sometimes feel radical, it trains me to reinterpret political, social, and economic phenomena through a missionary lens. From the 2020 pandemic, to the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war, and now the 2023 Turkey earthquake. The prophetic perspective connecting these events to the ‘signs of the end times’ spoken of in Matthew 24 was profoundly intriguing. Of course, from a conventional viewpoint, these would be analyzed as a viral catastrophe born from complex supply chains, an extreme war driven by political and economic interests, or a disaster stemming from the climate crisis. Yet the missionary’s gaze viewed all these currents as processes already prophesied within God’s history.

Particularly insightful was the analysis of the conflicts among major powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula and the crisis facing South Korea—perspectives absent from any media coverage. While the analysis that disputes between hegemonic nations could escalate beyond economic conflict into physical warfare was concerning, the hopeful message that ultimately God governs history and that South Korea will be used preciously in the history of the gospel brought great comfort. In such a chaotic world, I resolve to fix my gaze on one unshakable anchor and remain spiritually alert. While meditating on “What can I truly do?”, I decided to start with the small things I can manage, accompanied by prayer.

Today, I rose at 4:30 a.m. to gather my thoughts and write this blog post. I also contacted a missionary serving near Cyprus in Türkiye to inquire about their well-being and ask how I could join relief efforts. I believe the reason we won’t collapse in the face of such immense disaster is because there are still those reaching out in prayer.