Tips & Tools

Refugee Crisis: Five Objects to Fuel Prayer

The refugee crisis continues to grow each day. We witness people desperately scrambling ashore from boats or walking across borders into new countries that will hopefully guarantee them safety and freedom. Media attention on this crisis will eventually drop, which means we can easily forget the needs of thousands.

How can we continue praying daily, persistently, and passionately to support the people in this crisis? Here are five everyday objects you can use to motivate your prayers for refugees:

Shoes. We wear shoes everywhere, whether heels or work boots, sandals, slippers, or flats. So let’s use them to pray.

When I put my shoes on, I tend to look inside to make sure there’s nothing in there. Buy a pair of insoles, and write your prayers for the refugee crisis on them. This means that every time you put your shoes on, you can pray for the refugees. Think about the journeys that some of them have been on—and pray for their protection and strength.

Toothbrush. Brushing your teeth is something that you do at least once a day, especially if you don’t want bad breath when you meet and talk with people! Many country leaders are meeting and talking about what to do about the vast number of refugees arriving through their countries. So it’s really important to pray for people in power.

Use a sticky label or permanent marker to write the name of a leader or country on your toothbrush. Every time you brush your teeth, pray for wisdom, guidance, and unity in the decisions they make.

Mirror. We all look in the mirror at some point in the day, whether that’s first thing in the morning, throughout the day, or last thing at night.

Use lipstick to draw some lines on your mirror (men, you can always borrow some!). Or draw countries on pieces of paper and stick them to your mirror. These lines represent borders that are often blocked or covered with guards; borders that are treacherous and dangerous. Pray for safety and welcome from countries that refugees are entering.

Refrigerator. When I’m hungry, I know that there is something in the house that will satisfy my needs. And if there isn’t, I can go out and buy it. Many people in the world don’t have this privilege, especially the refugees crossing our continent. Some may not have eaten since they left home. Parents are sacrificing their food to give to their children.

Write prayers for those who are malnourished on pieces of paper and stick them on your refrigerator. Every time you go for some food, pray for energy, nutrition, and health for refugees.

Car. Without my car, I wouldn’t be able to go places or see people. Refugees use any mode of transportation they can to travel from war-torn nations to the safety of another country. Buy some sticky dots, and stick them on your transportation, such as on your steering wheel or bike handle. When you see the sticker, pray for those on long journeys. Pray for guidance, right decisions, and wisdom for those who offer transport to refugees.

TANDIA REEVES is part of the 24-7 Prayer team supporting prayer rooms internationally. She is also part of the Prayer Spaces in Schools team in the United Kingdom. This article is reprinted with permission from the 24-7 Prayer blog.