The early‑morning prayer service is a special spiritual meeting time that God has given to our Korean people. When Koreans first began settling in the Flushing area of New York, the local police were puzzled for quite some time. Around five o’clock every morning, groups of Asian women carrying handbags would hurry off somewhere and then return a little later. Curious, the patrolling officers followed them—only to discover that they were all entering buildings with church signs. And this was not during a special revival week, but every day of the year, rain or snow, in every season. The officers were astonished at the depth of Korean faith.

The pastor’s home is also busiest at dawn. At five o’clock, the loud alarm rings, the shower ends, clothes are put on, and we head out to church. After Scripture reading, hymns, and prayer at six o’clock, we immediately visit patients in the hospital, and by the time we return home it is already ten in the morning. Breakfast at that hour always awakens a hearty appetite. These days, with the children on vacation, we can linger in the sanctuary without rushing—reading the Word, meditating, and praying—and it brings a fresh joy. Just as the earth breathes, the breath of prayer between God and me enriches the day and, in deep peace, guides the direction of my life through God’s gentle voice.

In prayer, we meet countless people. We travel to many places and share their dreams and visions. Sometimes, in physical exhaustion, we doze while kneeling; sometimes our prayers wander without focus. Yet through all those days, the Lord always meets us and remains with us. In the early morning, when I come before Him with many requests, the Lord sometimes answers through silence, sometimes through Scripture, and sometimes through a deep peace that settles in my heart.

There are times when the Lord demands something strongly from me—He asks for patience. Like water in a pot that boils quickly and cools just as fast, my emotional impulsiveness needs correction. Through long periods of silence, the Lord helps my prayers stand firmly on the rock. Through my clumsy prayers, God has poured countless answers and miracles into my life. Through prayer, God gives me the ability to touch the hidden pains buried deep in another person’s soul.

Once, at a prayer meeting, I held hands with someone I had never met before and prayed. In that brief kneeling moment, I could feel the tangled, weary sorrows embedded deep within that person’s heart. Their torn and bruised pain was so intense that my throat tightened, and I could not help but weep and pray earnestly for them. After the prayer, we embraced, both sensing God’s healing and restoration.

Prayer travels faster than any superhighway. Today’s world speaks of the “information superhighway,” and nations wage invisible wars over information. Once information becomes known, it can generate wealth; thus, information is called the bread and rice of modern times. Yet the speed of prayer surpasses even the superhighway. The moment we close our eyes, prayer reaches any place in the world—and even the throne of the Lord.

Before the day begins, the fragrance of the saints’ prayers rising into the New York sky at dawn fills me with joy.

— Yoon Wan‑Hee, 1990