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Trusting God in Borders

LentMigration, Borders and Human DignityWeek 15 · Day 7

Scripture References

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Old Testament

Psalm 146:5-10

5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD, his God,

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever;

7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners.

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8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD raises up those who are bowed down. The LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, but he turns the way of the wicked upside down.

10 The LORD will reign forever; your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

New Testament

1 Peter 2:11-12

11 Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

12 having good behaviour amongst the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good works and glorify God in the day of visitation.

Thought for the Day

Psalm 146 refuses a certain kind of misplaced trust: do not put your confidence in princes, in mortal people, in whom there is no salvation. Breath leaves; plans perish. The psalm does not despise politics. It simply insists that ultimate hope cannot be placed on what will not last.

Borders expose the limits of earthly power. They can be places of protection, and they can become places of humiliation. So we pray for a common life that does not become anxious and harsh. We pray for leaders to act wisely, and for communities to treat migrants with dignity.

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Peter speaks to Christians as “sojourners and exiles.” παρεπίδημος names a life lived in a place that is not finally home. That spiritual truth does not cancel earthly responsibilities; it makes them more honest. We abstain from desires that wage war on the soul, and we keep conduct honourable among the nations.

Lord, teach us to trust you without withdrawing from responsibility. Make your people honourable in conduct and gentle in speech. Keep us from fear-based cruelty. And as heirs in Christ, make us able to live as subjects in this world with humble steadiness, so that even at borders and thresholds your mercy can be glimpsed.

Prayer Points

Respond
  • Lord, make our hope steady; deliver us from trusting in princes as though they were saviours
  • Give wisdom to leaders and institutions at borders; keep them accountable, humane, and truthful
  • Protect migrants and asylum seekers from humiliation and harm; provide safe welcome and timely help
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  • Teach your Church to live as sojourners with honourable conduct; gentle in speech and generous in love
  • Calm fear in public discourse; form us in patience, courage, and restraint
  • Let your mercy be glimpsed in places of threshold; and make our common life more reflective of your kingdom
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