“The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night”
— Psalm 121:5-6
The Apostle Paul admonished us to pray always. What do we pray about? Typically, we pray before meals. We pray for our health issues, family matters, studies, jobs, and church-related concerns. Some pray for mission fields and select missionaries. This is commendable.
God also calls us to care for the wanderer (Isaiah 58). A great place to start is to pray for the migrants or the scattered people who have great need. Psalm 121 reminds us that God watches over and protects those who call on Him. The following is a guided prayer for migrants*:
O God, I do not fully understand the flight of humans; they are mysterious and too deep to fathom.
Today, I specifically pray for the Diasporas, the scattered people in our borderless world. Too many of them are like grains scattered in the vast field, in the world you created. Some of them are left with no choice but to leave their homeland because of the forces of nature that have washed away their properties and destroyed their homes. Some flee the terrors of war and conflict. Still others leave for the betterment of their lives and advancement of their careers. For reasons I do not know, these scattered people are now separated from their families, isolated from their communities, confused, and lonely in a foreign land.
I pray for the homeless and uprooted refugees; have mercy, Lord.
The children caught in the middle of wars and conflict; protect them, Father.
The women trafficked and sold into the sex industry; preserve them, Almighty God, and destroy the work of the enemy.
The newly landed immigrants, Lord, may they plant roots in their adopted country and be anchored in Christian community.
O God, now I commit the millions of migrants who traverse the globe. May they find peace, strength, and joy in Christ Jesus as they travel throughout our world.
This is my prayer, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the friend of the migrants and pilgrims.
Amen.
REFLECTION
1. Ask God to reveal to you a specific person or a Diaspora population in need of prayer.
2. Commit to regularly praying Psalm 121 on their behalf.
Sadiri Joy Tira, D.Min., D.Miss., serves as Senior Associate for Diasporas for The Lausanne Movement and as the Diaspora Missiology Specialist for the Jaffray Centre for Global Initiatives at Ambrose University.
40 Days of Faith and Hope in Action 