During the interdenominational “Daniel Prayer Meeting” in South Korea, a Christian woman who once suffered severe burns shared her testimony of God’s justice and love, recounting her journey over the past decade from the valley of death to new life.
Kim Soo-yeon (phonetic transliteration from Korean; video testimony available [here]) was once an ordinary believer. Ten years ago, a fire broke out that left her with severe burns over her entire body. Upon leaving the hospital, she could not even walk and had to relearn basic steps.
She confessed that she had once been a “lukewarm believer,” but “God shattered my old life, which was destined to die, rebuilt me, gave me new life, and entrusted me with a mission that I must defend with my life.”
During her testimony at the prayer meeting, she asked all Christians: In the midst of suffering, have you seen the marks of God’s love? Or has the depth of your pain kept you from recognizing them?
On her résumé, there is one line: “Survivor of severe burns.” By worldly standards, this might seem like a heartbreaking, even shameful label. But looking back now, she says that line is evidence that God never abandoned her. While humans see wounds as failure, God carves “marks of love” into them. “Therefore, this is no longer shame, but a mark of grace,” she said.
Born in Grace, Yet Forgetting Grace
Reflecting on her upbringing, Kim Soo-yeon said she was born in response to her mother’s prayer: “Lord, if You let this child live, I will dedicate her to You.”
As she grew up, she forgot this grace. “Even though I grew up in church, I cared more about human approval than God’s heart. I pursued shiny things, numerical achievements, and the opinions of others.” At times, she even sneered inwardly: “God will no longer work in my life.”
At 27, she married and moved for work, leaving her Bible and faith books behind. At that time, she thought, “If You truly love me, I’ll wait for You to come find me.” In hindsight, she admits it was less prayer than declaration of war.
Two months later, fire struck, and her life was turned completely upside down.
The Day of Fire: 55% Third-Degree Burns, Struggling Between Life and Death
On that day, Kim Soo-yeon fell into a literal inferno. 55% of her body suffered third-degree burns. She slipped in and out of consciousness in the emergency room and nearly died due to an IV error while being transferred. By the time she reached the burn unit, she was strapped to the bed, with only faint blood pressure and weak cries.
The agony of burns is not in the fire itself, but in the treatment afterward. The so-called “debridement surgery”—scraping off charred skin, applying donor skin, and reopening the wounds for repeated treatment before healing—had to be done every day or two. Sometimes, low white blood cell counts even prevented the use of anesthesia or painkillers.
At dawn, she often trembled and begged nurses: “Please, just throw me in the trash.”
It was a valley of utter despair.
God’s First Word: “Do Not Be Proud”
In this “hellish low,” Kim Soo-yeon heard God’s voice for the first time: “Do not be proud.” At first, it sounded like rebuke, not comfort. But later she realized it was spiritual CPR, saving her from death.
“Turn away from pride,” she heard. It was advice, not judgment, and she felt God’s love intervening. He still called her “daughter.”
She was embraced by Song of Songs 4:7: “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you,” even though she was covered in scars, bandages, and foul odor, strapped to a hospital bed. At that moment, she understood that God loves not the appearance, but the very existence.
Looking back at the fire ten years ago, Kim Soo-yeon understood it was not disaster, but purifying fire—burning away pride to prepare a dwelling for God. Through this experience, she began to grasp why life apart from God is always empty and self-centered living always painful and vague.
The Power of Intercessory Prayer: Opening the Path to Life
When she could not pray, countless intercessors prayed for her. She realized that intercessory prayer is a channel God opens to save lives; her life was tied to the tears of others.
As a medical student, she was told she would almost certainly be unable to conceive again. Yet God blessed her with a child. Kim Soo-yeon said that carrying a child with transplanted skin and CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) was nearly another ordeal of suffering, yet she was granted the grace to “embrace life.”
On the day her child was born, she witnessed a miraculous scene: the baby’s ears and tiny hands were exactly like hers before the burns. In that moment, she heard God whisper, “I know your wounds, and I wish to comfort your pain.”
From then on, she transitioned from “patient” to “mother.” Through the calling of motherhood, the thorns in her heart were gradually removed.
At the prayer meeting, she urged: Mission is not only for pastors or missionaries. Wherever you stand today—your home, workplace, or in parenting—where you cry in prayer or intercede for your enemies—this is the “mission field” God has sent you to.
