What does the Gospel mean to the millions of people forcibly displaced from their homes?
By the end of last year, 82.4 million people had been forcibly displaced from where they called home. Take a moment to let that number sink in…that is 82.4 million people seeking refuge after armed conflict, climate-related disaster, religious persecution and more forced them out of their homeland. How does the gospel apply to this? What does the gospel mean to refugees?
Consider how connected your hometown is to your identity. Your home encompasses your family, memories, language, culture, community, vocation and more. Forced displacement is more than losing a home; it uproots entire lives.
So how should Christians respond to this global crisis? As always, we should start with the gospel.
First, the refugee can take comfort knowing that God walks with them in all things, and that He understands everything they are feeling and experiencing. We know that Christ was tempted and tried in every possible way, and that He knows their pain. Not only that, but He comforts the downtrodden and brokenhearted. He is ever present with them in their displacement.
As we mentioned above, displacement affects every aspect of life. For the refugee whose whole life changed, the gospel offers a source of identity. God created each person in His image and adopted them into His family. No matter where they live or move, they can know that Christ has rooted and established them in His love. Not only that, but the refugee can find refuge in God, who is our father, our savior and our comforter. He protects us and works all things together for our good and His glory.
Lastly, we know that our earthly homes are not our ultimate destination. God will redeem this world and return it to its intended wholeness. We will all find refuge in the New Heaven and New Earth to come.
Ultimately then, the gospel means hope, consolation and rootedness for the refugee.
After reading how the gospel applies, we have a better idea of how to engage refugees around the world. While the gospel offers comfort and hope for the refugee, we should also offer practical help and support. The refugee crisis is one we should care deeply about. You can read more about refugee crises here, and our work to help on these three pages: food security; education; discipleship.
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