“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19,NIV)
God declares that He personally cares for orphans and widows and upholds justice. His grace will continue to reach children scattered across the world like orphans, those forced to flee their homes due to war, civil unrest, and national disasters. The Lord seeks them out, provides for them, and continues His salvation.
According to the UNHCR Global Trends Report, the number of forcibly displaced people—those who fled their homes due to war, civil conflict, or political persecution—has surpassed 100 million globally for the first time. Of these, 27.1 million are officially registered refugees now receiving protection in other countries, accounting for 30.3% of the total.
More than two-thirds of these refugees come from just five countries: Syria, 6.8 million; Venezuela, 4.6 million; Afghanistan, 2.7 million; South Sudan,2.4 million; and Myanmar, 1.1 million. As of the end of the year, the number of refugees worldwide reached approximately 27.1 million; asylum seekers, 4.6 million; and internally displaced persons, 53.2 million.
Children under the age of 18 make up 42% of all forcibly displaced individuals. When crises last for years, children become especially vulnerable. According to updated UNHCR data, between 2018 and 2020, around one million children were born into refugee status, with many expected to spend much of their childhood displaced.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF), 33 million children worldwide were refugees in 2019, a steady increase from 24 million in 1990. Today, 1 in every 8 refugees is a child, and they are five times more likely to be out of school compared to non-refugees of similar age. Armed conflicts occur approximately 45 times per day, targeting unprotected children who have fled their homes due to war, poverty, or climate change. Half of all fatalities caused by landmines or leftover explosives from conflict are minors. Natural disasters linked to climate change such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts also drive children from their homes, exposing them to increased risks: forced labor, early marriage, exploitation, human trafficking, and recruitment or abduction by armed groups. In transit and at their destinations, many of them also face xenophobia and discrimination.
In Syria, where civil war has dragged on for over a decade, 45% of all displaced people are under the age of 18. Among them, 1.6 million Syrian refugees under the age of 10 are now living in neighboring countries. Many suffer both physically and mentally, and as time goes on, the lives of these children become even more fragile and unstable.
》Prayer Points
1. The number of refugees worldwide continues to grow. Children make up more than half of those fleeing their homes due to war and food shortage, facing heightened threats of violence, starvation, and disease. Let us pray that the Lord Himself will care for and rescue these tens of millions of refugee children, and that international organizations, aid groups, and churches around the world will rise to serve them.
2. Let us pray that refugee children receive the food, water, clothing, shelter, and education they urgently need. May missions that proclaim God’s love and the gospel of the cross arise in every place they are found, and may it lead to a rich harvest of souls among them.
》Scripture Prayer
(Proverbs 13:9-19,NIV) 9 The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. 10 Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. 11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. 13 Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded. 14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. 15 Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction. 16 All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly. 17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing. 18 Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. 19 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. Satan, who stands behind wars, civil conflicts, disputes, and acts of terror, has never ceased to incite and spread violence since Cain committed the first murder. Because of human pride and sin, which breed strife and entrap people in the snares of death, children have become the greatest victims of war. Let us pray that the gospel of the cross would become a fountain of life in nations and regions torn by conflict, bringing salvation, eternal hope, and true peace.
2. Let us pray that churches will rise up to serve and support refugee children, and that those they reach may be restored and renewed through the love of God the Father and the power of the gospel of the cross. May God, in His gracious wisdom, overthrow the wicked who seek to harm these young lives, and cause these young ones to live as children of God who shine brightly with the light of the righteous.
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