God’s Heart for Refugees
Dear Hope Family,
“We are the angry and the desperate
The hungry and the cold
We are the ones who kept quiet
And always did what we were told
But we’ve been sweating while you slept so calm in the safety of your home
We’ve been pulling out the nails that hold up everything you’ve known”
– Rise Against, “Prayer of the Refugee”
It would be impossible for me to convince anyone with a single letter that taking care of refugees is important to the heart of God, but throughout the Bible the “alien” or “immigrant” or “refugee” is considered one of the most vulnerable people groups. And God often uses how we care for foreigners as a litmus test for our genuine love for him and our understanding of his radical mercy (e.g., Exodus 22:21). Why? Because in our sin, we all alienated ourselves from God, but in the gospel he sought us out and through Jesus he has provided us with a kingdom citizenship that can never be revoked. Our citizenship documents are signed with the blood of his Son. What a gift! And now we are called to extend that same mercy to those in need of a safe home.
It’s often hard to know what we can and should do when it comes to the politics of immigration, but one step is to simply seek understanding and consider ways we can serve and advocate for the most vulnerable among us. World Relief is one local partner that we have found to be a consistent, faithful voice for refugees and asylum seekers. They have provided this one-pager to educate our community and alert us to opportunities for service and prayer.
If you have ideas or experiences you’d like to share, please reach out. I’d love to hear more ways we can love our immigrant neighbors.
Peace,
Ethan