2 of 2

Joseph provided the most direct parallel: a young man abducted and presumed dead, who rose against all odds to serve a foreign dictator. Joseph's terse summary to his brothers offers the Yokotas a strong word of hope: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."

The Tokyo meeting proved how Joseph's principle of providence might apply. Instead of the expected 150 people, almost 1,000 Japanese turned out, along with all three television networks. Before them, Mrs. Yokota gave a stirring testimony of hope and redemption. Christians represent less than 1 percent of the population in Japan, but on the evening news that week, nearly every broadcast led with a segment on this mild-mannered housewife pleading for justice with the demeanor and spirit of God's grace.

One more detail deserves mention: Megumi is the Japanese word for grace.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

News elsewhere about Megumi Yokota includes:

N Korea criticizes magazine report saying Yokota still alive | North Korea on Monday criticized reports in a Japanese magazine saying that British intelligence has obtained pictures suggesting that Megumi Yokota, a Japanese abducted by North Korean agents, is still alive despite Pyongyang's denial of her survival. (Japan Today, June 13, 2005)

Disputed Bones: Japan-North Korea Clash | Gavan McCormack updates the ongoing controversy over abductees and return of their remains (Ohmy News, South Korea, June 13, 2005)

About a kidnap victim, DNA testing and doubt | More than anything else, it is the government and media's intense focus on the story of the Japanese kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s, and returned here a couple of years ago, that has stirred Japanese anger and nationalistic feelings. (International Herald Tribune, France, June 1, 2005)

New York Times readers learn of Megumi's plight | Japanese activists placed a full-page ad Monday in The New York Times demanding that North Korea disclose all information regarding the abduction of Japanese nationals and unconditionally send all abductees and their families to Japan. (Japan Times, December 25, 2002)

Previous Yancey columns for Christianity Today include:

A Bow and a Kiss | Authentic worship reveals both the friendship and fear of God. (April 28, 2005)

Global Suspense | The trick of faith is to believe in advance what will only make sense in reverse. (March 01, 2005)

Back from the Brothel | Thanks to brave ministries, prostitutes are still entering the kingdom. (Jan. 05, 2005)

Hope for Abraham's Sons | What will it take for us to overcome this violent world? (Oct. 27, 2004)

Forgetting God | Why decadence drives out discipline. (Aug. 30, 2004)

Discreet and Dynamic | Why, with no apparent resources, Chinese churches thrive. (June 28, 2004)

Doubting the Doomsayers | Thank God not everything they say is true. (April 30, 2004)

Cry, The Beloved Continent | Don't let AIDS steal African children's future. (March 04, 2004)

The Colonizers | The best preachers have challenged earth to become more like heaven. (Jan. 16, 2004)

The Leprosy Doctor | Paul Brand showed how to serve others sacrificially and emerge with joy. (Oct. 23, 2003)

Going It Alone | We should take heed when much of the world says it distrusts us. (July 2, 2003)

God of the Maggies | In broken sinners, Jesus saw not their past but their future. (April 25, 2003)

Perestroika of the Spirit | In Russia, the vocabulary of faith needs interpreters. (March 5, 2003)

Jesus' Sword | Longing for peace in tumultuous times. (Jan. 7, 2002)

Guilt Good and Bad | The early warning signs. (Nov. 11, 2002)

God's Funeral | What will keep faith from nearly disappearing in America? (Sept. 3, 2002)

Sheepish | Feeling autonomous and proud? Then ponder the lives of sheep. (July 2, 2002)

Yancey's Where is God When it Hurts, Special Edition, Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church, and his latest book, Rumors of Another World, are available on Christianbook.com.

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

July 2005, Vol. 49, No. 7