Let's give them a prayer!
Jun 12, 2021
- Tom Albinson
I invite you to join me in this prayer on behalf of the world's refugees and asylum seekers today.
I encourage you to actually pray this aloud, even if quietly, as such a practice can better join our hearts and minds as we speak with our loving Creator.
Father in heaven and Father with us now, I call out to you because you see, you hear, and you care for us.
I join my prayer to the cries of refugees and asylum seekers in our world today. Most are women and children. They have lost everything - home and homeland, friends and loved ones. Loss and separation weigh heavily on their hearts. They feel unwelcome and misunderstood wherever they go. They long to find a place where they belong in the world.
They are tired. Their strength is gone. They hunger. They thirst. They cry out for safety. They need shelter. Please provide for their daily needs.
May they know that you hear their cries. May they know that you care for them. May they know that you are with them. Protect their hearts and minds as they endure many trials. Renew their hope.
Thousands are being newly uprooted today. They are crossing deserts, seas, and mountains in search of safety. Assure them that they are not alone. For you are with them. May they know you as their provider and protector. Lead them to safety.
Millions of people have been uprooted for years and even decades. Let them know that they are not forgotten. Lead them to a place where they can settle.
Let your heart for refugees and asylum seekers beat ever stronger within the body of Christ. May we be a tangible reflection of your image to those who have been uprooted.
I would consider it a blessing and privilege if you can use me to that end.
I pray in the name of Jesus, who was himself a refugee in Egypt.
Amen.
Learn more about God's heart for refugees.
Perhaps you would like to learn more about God's heart for refugees. If so, a good starting place is to watch this 5 minute video that offers an overview of refugee realities in the world along with some biblical perspective. Just click the image to watch it now.
Explore Scriptures
Perhaps you noticed that the above prayer is informed by Scripture? That is a helpful way to pray with confidence as we know the Bible reveals the heart and nature of God to us. I encourage you to explore a few of the Scriptures that inform this prayer.
God sees, hears, and cares for us.
The story of Hagar's refugee experience in Genesis is a beautiful revelation of this truth. See Genesis 16 and Genesis 21.
God's provision for refugees
The Bible is filled with stories of God's provision for refugees. Psalm 107:1-9 is a beautiful example. I love to read this with my refugee friends and often pray verse 7 with them.
"He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle."
This is the deep longing of every displaced heart.
God's people welcome refugees
Matthew 25:31-46 is a well-known story told by Jesus in which he says that his followers will be people who care for the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, and the detained. And they are people who welcome the stranger.
The body of Christ cares about the same things for which Jesus cares.
Refugees and asylum seekers experience all of these needs and long for a heartfelt welcome from others.