"I am close to death at the hands of my enemies; oh, give me back my life again, just as you promised me. Accept my grateful thanks and teach me your desires. My life hangs in the balance, but I will not give up obedience to your laws. The wicked have set their traps for me along your path, but I will not turn aside. Your laws are my joyous treasure forever. I am determined to obey you until I die. - Psalm 119:107-112 NLT
Humanitarian Aid Camp, Byrd Camp, run by the non-profit No More Deaths in Arizona was raided by Border Patrol in a disruptive nighttime raid on Oct. 5, 2020, the second since July. No More Deaths, a faith based organization started in 2004, provides water, relief and search and rescue/recovery operations in the Sonoran Desert to immigrants making the dangerous crossing. This criminalization and increased disruption of humanitarian aid is cause for Christ followers to pray.
To the Son of God, for whom there was no where to lay his head,
Your wisdom does not prize efficiency over care, nor will your wisdom denigrate human life. We pray for your humanizing wisdom to change the minds that make the policies regarding the lives at stake in all the border chaos.
Restore good faith agreements between Border Patrol and humanitarian groups.
Lead travelers into safe places, protect them when they apprehended from violence and the virus. May your people continue to rise up and provide shelter in wild places and water to those dying of thirst. The truth of situations is always clearer in the desert – oh God, don’t let us close our eyes to where You are on that border.
The numbers are in for how much climate change is costing in terms of natural disasters and disrupted economies, displaced people. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) said 7,348 major disaster events occurred between 2000 and 2019, claiming 1.23 million lives, affecting 4.2 billion people, and costing the global economy some $2.97 trillion.
Lord of all our Relations,
These numbers are staggering. They are hard to comprehend. But at the root of all this data is a cost to your creation that demands a response. May humility be what governs our governments and our own responses to the numbers. May godly sorrow be what brings out changed actions which leads to salvation and a readiness to see justice done (2 Cor. 7:10,11). Do not let us look away from how interconnected climate, economy and human displacement all are. May the kindness we need to survive as individuals be the kindness we enact on the world in our policies.
Cameroonian asylum seekers, fleeing the violent conflicts and human rights abuses taking place in Cameroon, are being coerced through threat and violence by ICE agents to sign their own deportation letters and being sent back, despite vigorous opposition to this practice.
The US refugee resettlement program has been shrunk down to the smallest it's ever been, and it is currently shut down because the administration neglected to fulfill its legal responsibilities on time. As people of faith committed to welcoming the vulnerable, urge Congress to hold the president accountable to keeping refugee resettlement alive!
"Your Kingdom Banquet Come" is the theme of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank resource for World Food Day this year. Check out the resouces they've made avaliable to support those who do not have enough to eat.
The Reformed family is a diverse family with a diverse range of opinions. Not all perspectives expressed on the blog represent the official positions of the Christian Reformed Church. Learn more about this blog, Reformed doctrines, and our diversity policy on our About page.
In order to steward ministry shares well, commenting isn’t available on Do Justice itself because we engage with comments and dialogue in other spaces. To comment on this post, please visit the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue’s Facebook page (for Canada-specific articles) or the Office of Social Justice’s Facebook page. Alternatively, please email us. We want to hear from you!
Read more about our comment policy.