Oh man, where do I even begin in this whole issue of the refugee crisis? My heart is broken. Broken for the atrocities that are going on. Broken for those who have lost loved ones in Paris and Beirut. Broken for the refugees. What hell they have been through and are still going through. The things they have lived through is a glimpse into depravity, a dark hole of evil, the absence of good, the absence of God. My heart is broken at how everyone feels bad for the refugees but not enough to make sacrifices to love them well.
I don’t usually write about these kinds of things. I don’t like contributing to media enflamed frenzies. I think sitting down and having real conversations are better. Things can be clarified, body language can be seen, hearts can be heard. But I live in Central Asia and that makes it hard for me to sit down with my friends in the States. Since I live in Central Asia, in a country with the highest concentration of refugees, in a country that is 99.9% Muslim, I think it gives me a different voice and a different perspective on this issue.
My intention is to address my Christian brothers and sisters back in the States. I know this is a volatile issue right now and I expect I will make people mad and step on toes. I’ve stepped on my own as I’ve written out my thoughts. I expect many will hear but not hear what I’m saying due to their own biases. My hope is that some will hear and wrestle with these issues as I have and at the end of the day, we will do everything we can to shine a little brighter in this bleak world. I’m breaking this into two posts. In this first one, I’m explaining my point of view beginning with Scripture. In the second post, I’ll address more practical questions and give some good resources on this topic.
Do Not Fear
Fear. I’ll start there. Do not fear. How many times does the Bible tell us not to fear? Psalm 46 says that the earth can crumble underneath us, an entire mountain can be dumped into the sea, that nations can become unstable and our kingdom/government/country/seemingly safety net can crumble and WE.WILL.NOT.FEAR. We choose to not fear. Why? Because God is our REFUGE and STRENGTH. Because the LORD of HOSTS is with us and we.will.not.be.moved. The psalm continues.
Be still.... (are you still yet?)
And know... (dwell on this, meditate on it)
That I am God... (have you anchored your heart and trust to the Rock?)
I will be exalted among the nations. (even Muslim ones)
I will be exalted in the earth.
Later, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you WILL have tribulation (trouble.) But take heart; I have OVERCOME the world.” (Jn 16:33)
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword,
or ISIS or terrorists or refugees?
As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Rm 8:31-32, 35-38
Now take a deep breath. Let these truths wash over your mind and soul. Do not fear. It is well with your soul. The enemy working through ISIS and a myriad of other things wants you to be paralyzed by fear. Don’t let them win. Anchor yourself to the Truth in the Word. Don’t rely on human methods of safety. Rely on the One who created your soul, on the One who could have destroyed you for your sin but instead took your sin and gave you His righteousness. He is trustworthy. Lean into Him.
May I remind you that human safety is an illusion. We are as safe as God wants us to be. I live in a country with almost 2,000,000 refugees. I don’t fear because I trust God’s sovereignty. No one can touch a hair on my head unless He allows it. I am essentially untouchable until He says otherwise. This is such a freeing thought. I have nothing to fear. If He chooses to let someone harm me, I cannot thwart His plan. I cannot escape His purposes. And should he choose to use my suffering for His glory, what an honor it would be that I was counted worthy to bring Him glory. Again, it’s freeing. He is trustworthy. And maybe I’ll forget this in a month or a year. I need you to remind me that He is trustworthy even when the foundation is crumbling.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses and some trust in presidents/governments/border controls/guns/security systems/self-insulation but we CHOOSE to trust in the name of the Lord.
Comfort and Complacency
Christ has already overcame the worst thing that could possibly happen to you. He defeated eternal separation from God. He defeated Hell. You think the things that ISIS are doing are atrocities. It is nothing to the level of eternal separation of only evil and no good. It is well with your soul. If you follow Jesus, this life is not your final life. Death and suffering are actually promised to you. You will die. Paul told Timothy, all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted. (2 Tim 3:12) There is nothing in Scripture that I can find that says our lives should look easy and comfortable requiring little from us. In fact, I find a whole lot of promises that the road following Jesus is hard and narrow. Stop trying to insulate yourself from pain and discomfort. Take comfort in the fact that the absolute worst thing you could face on earth is but light and momentary in the face of the GLORY that awaits you.
And I get it, Paris hit a little too close to home. I understand that there are atrocities going on and we can’t possibly imagine enduring those things. We want to self-preserve at all costs. Our self-preservation instinct is so high that we’re willing to say, “Syrians, Iraqis, Middle Easterners, we know you’ve been through these things and we feel bad but not bad enough to risk that we might be next.”
The fear, I know it’s coming back now. Don’t let it. Breathe in the truth again. Trust in your Protector Savior. Anchor back to him. Don’t fear.
Love Your Enemies
Jen Hatmaker said she likes Jesus about 64% of the time. For every 6 things he said, she’s willing to ignore or discredit 4 of them. God told us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. We are to love our kind, sometimes annoying, but still normal (in our minds) neighbors. Oh how many times I’ve failed at that one. Love them as much as myself? That makes me squirm a bit, brings up some selfishness. But then he says to love our enemies and do good to the ones who hate us. (Mt 5:44-45, Lk 6:35) WHAT?!?!?! Our enemies. Surely He didn’t really mean this. Surely we can ignore just this one command. Refugees aren’t our enemies. ISIS is our enemy. He tells us to love ISIS. He basically covers all people in his command to love. Love nice people like your neighbors and evil people like ISIS and everyone in between like refugees.
Why would Jesus say such an outlandish thing like this? Because he loved us when we were enemies. He died for us. Have you forgotten? Like my friend told me today, we get soul amnesia. We forget that He could have destroyed us with his wrath. We were his enemies. We were ISIS. We forget what kind of evil we have been saved from. We forget just how atrocious and abominable our sins are before a terrifyingly holy God. We just think we’re not that bad. We are. We were rebels against our very Creator, the One who gave us breath, the Essence of all things good, pure, holy. We had the gall to look him in the face and say, “No. I choose my own path.” He loved and rescued us while we were enemies. And now he calls us to follow Him in his love, in his death. We are meant to love our enemies to the point of death. Hard? Yes. Impossible? No. We have the same exact Spirit living in us that enabled Christ to not only live a perfect life, but to endure the suffering and death bringing life to many.
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” -1 Peter 2:21-24
Perhaps He wants to use my wounds to heal others. And He is worthy for my body to be broken and my blood to be spilled out. I pray regularly, “Teach me to suffer well.” When my turn comes, I want my life or death to make His glory shine to nations. For now, I want to do my best to love my neighbors and the refugees.
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