More than one person is forcibly displaced from their home country because of conflict, persecution, hunger or climate every two seconds, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
Read that again. More than one person every two seconds.
By the end of 2023, 110 million people had been forcibly displaced worldwide. Sixty-two million of them were internally displaced (forced to leave their home but not their country), 36.4 million were refugees, and 6.1 million were asylum seekers (refugees who sought sanctuary, legal protection, and material assistance in another country).
The average length of displacement is a whopping 17 years. There are also an estimated 10 million stateless people—citizens of no country, which means that no country has any legal obligation to protect or care for them.
We see refugees in the Bible. Jacob and his family fled to Canaan during a drought (see Gen. 42-50). Moses fled to Midian in fear for his life (see Ex. 2:11-25). The Israelites were driven out of Egypt (see Ex. 13-15).
Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, fled the land of Judah for Moab due to a famine (see Ruth 1:1-7). David lived as a refugee outside of Israel, fleeing Saul’s assassination attempts (see 1 Sam. 20-31). Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with Jesus and lived there as refugees before moving to Nazareth as displaced people (Matt. 2:13-23).
This month, Awakening Prayer Hubs is praying for a revival among the refugees. Join the movement at www.awakeningprayerhubs.com.
Let’s pray:
Pray God will meet the practical needs of refugees, including nutritious food, clean water, and shelter.
Pray God will protect refugees from human traffickers and others who seek to harm or take advantage of them.
Pray for grace and strength for refugee mothers traveling with young children and that unaccompanied refugee children will be reunited with their families.
Pray God will heal the hearts of refugees who’ve endured tragedy and trauma.
Pray for comfort for refugees who’ve lost friends and family members.
Pray for an end to the terror and violence that continue to drive innocent people from their homes.
Pray for God to continue to bring refugees to places where they can hear the Gospel.
Pray for God to raise up more believers who speak refugees’ languages to share the Gospel with them so they can find refuge in Christ.
Pray for courage for refugee believers facing opposition from family.
Pray for God to protect believing refugees from persecution.
Pray for a revival in refugee camps and among scattered refugees around the world.
Want to go deeper with us in prayer for revival and major issues in cities around the world? If you can pray just thirty minutes a month for your city, you qualify.
Awakening Prayer Hubs is looking for 1,000 prayer warriors to raise up as prayer leaders in the nations. Launch a hub, join a hub or sponsor a hub at www.awakeningprayerhubs.com.
