Refugees

‘They went astray in the wilderness and found no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them. So they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress.’ (Psalm 107:4-6)

We are seeing more and more photos, facts, writings about the plights of refugees seeking asylum, whether in this country or any other place more safe than what used to be home. Plaintive does not even describe the faces, the living conditions, the aching for food, shelter, anywhere that might be welcoming. And more often than not, we turn away, turn the page, shut off the computer or television, anything to keep us from being reminded there are refugees, children, families, who do not have a place to call home or even a spot of land in which to pitch a tent. The Psalmist knew about refugees. No matter who wrote these verses, knowledge of a desperate plight was known. And the answer was to cry to God. I’m not writing to say to any who read this to go to a certain place on the computer to shelter a refugee. That is an individual or a community decision. But we all can cry to God for such desperation, such longing. If we raise our voices not only to God but to local and national elected officials, it just might be some action might be done to give a home, a piece of land, a refuge from the storms of life. Let US cry to the Lord on their behalf that many will be delivered from their distress. But also DO something. Support agencies working with refugees. We don’t have to be an Audrey Hepburn who worked tirelessly with UNICEF. We can be just normal people who add our voices, our monetary gifts, our letters, our prayers to such heart wrenching lives looking for a place to call their own.