Refugee Crisis: How to Pray for Governments and Policy Makers Pete Ward - 8 Sep 2015

If you'd like to sign up for a slot in our week of prayer, the details can be found here

As we continue our global week of prayer for the European refugee crisis, many of us have signed up in hour slots to pray over the next 7 days.

As we pray, leaders around the world are attempting to navigate the crisis as it plays out. So how do we effectively pray for our leaders at this time?

I URGE, THEN, FIRST OF ALL, THAT PETITIONS, PRAYERS, INTERCESSION AND THANKSGIVING BE MADE FOR ALL PEOPLE—  FOR KINGS AND ALL THOSE IN AUTHORITY,
THAT WE MAY LIVE PEACEFUL AND QUIET LIVES IN
ALL GODLINESS AND HOLINESS

1 TIMOTHY 2:1

As the refugee crisis grows, I’ve been struck by the size of the organisational and political scale of what is unfolding.  Politicians are caught wrong-footed, and policy makers are overwhelmed by the scale of what is happening on the ground.  As Brian Heasley has reminded us, we need to pray for those in authority, those who make policy; that they have wisdom and compassion to handle this complex and difficult situation with grace and mercy.  We must ask the Father that he would dispense wisdom to our leaders and those in positions of power, because the scale of the problems need solutions with wisdom and compassion beyond our human capacity.

Please pray for these divine solutions, that love would triumph over fear, self-interest and persecution, and that Europe would rise to the challenge of the current situation and be a model for how a region can respond well to a desperate refugee crisis.

Here are a few people you can pray for specifically:

Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission president.

Mr Juncker is challenging European leaders to offer shelter to a considerably increased number of refugees than they have currently agreed.  Amidst tensions between those leaders in the EU supporting such a policy, and those reluctant to have refugee quotas placed on them, Mr Junker is trying to find a way forward.  He will need to balance the conflicting aims of stemming the flow of refugees and migrants, and dealing with those already in the EU.  Pray that he would be successful in negotiating an effective and well thought through policy that gains the support of member nations.

As refugees and migrants stream from North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, three countries are seeing the majority of the influx – Hungary, Greece and Italy.  Under current EU rules, all migrants arriving in the EU must be registered and processed in the county of their arrival.  All three nations are struggling to cope.

Alexis Tsipras, Greek Prime Minister

Grecian politicians and voters are already dealing with the economic collapse of a lifetime and tensions are high.

Greek Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas has warned that the island of Lesbos, a popular refugee route into Europe, is "on the verge of explosion".

Mr Tsipras has stated that the problem surpasses Greece’s ability to deal with it.  Islanders are feeling the strain of both the Euro crisis, and the impact that the influx of migrants and refugees is having on their vital tourist trade.  Please pray for generosity and peace, and for the resources to process and assist the refugees.

Matteo Renzi, Italian Prime Minister

The fall of governments on the North African coast has led to 90% of migrants traveling to Italy via Libya, often aided by people trafficking gangs who have shown little regard for the safety of those whose money they are taking.Mr Renzi has been at the forefront of those nations calling for a wider European response to the migrant and refugee crisis.

Pray for the plans of the traffickers to be thwarted, and for the resources required for EU nations to mount an effective seaborne response.

Viktor Orban, Hungarian Prime Minister

Mr Orban has been the public and controversial face of those resisting the imposition of mandatory quotas for migrants on all EU nations, and along with the leaders of Slovakia has questioned the policy of "Christian" Europe taking in many Muslims.  This drew a firm response from European Council President Donald Tusk, who suggested "For a Christian it shouldn't matter what race, religion and nationality the person in need represents."  Rhetoric aside, Mr Orban has a huge pressure on him to deal with the thousands crossing the border into Hungary, and his response is to begin constructing a fence along the border with Serbia to restrict migrant and refugee movement.  Whatever solution is proposed by the EU to start to solve the crisis, there is clearly a long way to go to reassure and win over those who are fearful of immigrants.  Please pray that hope and love would triumph over fear throughout the EU.

Plenty More to Pray For...

There are so many more leaders we could feature here, including those in the UN, those leading nations and factions that are the cause of this crisis, and the leaders of the European institutions who are dealing with the migrants and refugees.  As we join together in this week of prayer, please continue to seek out information on the people we all need to be lifting up to the Lord for His answers, for the sake of all those who have been displaced and are suffering as a result of the turmoil in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.
 

Photo credits: Junker, Orban, Renzi, Tsipras, via photopin (license)