Join the journey

Conflict, economic hardship and natural disasters (often caused by climate change) are forcing millions of people around the world to flee from their homes, including in many of the places Tearfund works. That's millions of stories of leaving behind homes, possessions, jobs and loved ones. That's millions of reasons to pray…

We invite you to engage in seven days of creative prayer, each focusing on a stage of the refugee journey, providing opportunities to reflect, lament, hope and act. There is also a biblical reflection on ‘Who is our neighbour?'

God journeys with every person who has had to flee and we can walk alongside them in prayer.

Day one: fleeing home

You will need: a timer, a comfortable seat and a notepad.

• Set a three-minute timer. Sit, close your eyes and imagine you have to leave your home with no warning, not knowing if or when you will be able to return. If you have family, set this aside for now – the focus is on you and your possessions.
• You have three minutes. What would you choose to bring with you? Take an imaginary walk around all the rooms in your home. Where are your essential items… medicines, money, paperwork? Where are your most sentimental items… a family heirloom, a child’s drawing, a favourite photo? What do you take that you can hold? What do you carry it in? What do you wear on your feet?
• When the timer goes off, set another five-minute timer. You have to leave your house when the timer goes off. Gather together what you would take, or write a list if you’d prefer.
• Reflect: How did you feel as you prepared to leave your house? What emotions did having so little time cause you to feel? How would you feel leaving many things behind that you couldn’t carry?
• Pray: For those who have gone through this or are at risk of having to. Pray for protection, peace, provision and God’s presence to go with them.
• Finish: Take a moment to remember that God hears our prayers and is with each person you have prayed for. Take a moment to feel his love for you and his peace, which passes all understanding.

Day two: on the road

You will need: a glass of water, a plate and a few pebbles or stones.

• Put the pebbles on a plate, one to mark home and one to mark a final destination.
• Dip your finger into the glass of water and make a trail of droplets between the two stones. Each droplet represents a step taken by someone fleeing their home to a place of safety.
• Move along each droplet and pray, imagining how you would feel and praying for people who are currently making this journey.
• Ask God to guide their steps, keep them safe and make a way for their future.
• How would someone having to flee hold onto hope? Add more drops of water to the plate, as they merge and grow, pray for hope to grow in people’s hearts in place of despair. Pray for courage, wisdom and favour along each step of their journey.

Day three: arriving in a camp (prayer of lament)

You will need: a candle/light source.

• Light a candle and begin by welcoming God’s presence, saying ‘God, you are here’ as you breathe in, ‘and I am here with you’ as you breathe out.
• Thank God that just as light reaches far into the darkness, God is present with all those who are living in camps.
• Take a moment of lament, to express the pain, grief, loss and insecurity that conflict has brought to so many.
• Pray for people who have had to flee, who are arriving or living in camps today.
• Pray that God would bring light, hope and peace to their hearts.
• As you look at the candle, ask God to show you how he is already at work and how he wants you to pray.
• Finish by thanking God that he hears all our prayers and that they make a difference to those we are praying for.

Day four: living in a camp (pray for provision)

You will need: a drink and something to eat.

As you take each sip and mouthful, pray for those living in camps struggling to find adequate food or clean water:

Lord of compassion,
As I lift this cup, I remember those who thirst –
not for choice, but because clean water is far away,
rationed, or polluted.
Let every sip stir gratitude in me,
and awaken a longing for justice.

As I break this bread, I remember those who hunger –
not because they are fasting,
but because the food has run out
or was never enough to begin with.
Let each bite remind me that
this food is a gift I cannot take for granted.

I think of people living in camps today –
mothers waiting in long queues,
children searching for scraps,
fathers praying for tomorrow’s portion.
God, provide for their daily bread.
Let provision reach where it is needed.
Let leaders be moved to act.
Let generosity rise.

And let this meal not end with me.
May what nourishes me fuel my love,
May what satisfies me deepen my empathy,
And may my comfort lead to courage –
to pray, to give, to act.

Amen.

Day five: healing and rebuilding

You will need: a plant (or to be able to see one).

• Look at several leaves on the plant in turn.
• As you look at each, pray for a group of people who need God's healing after having to flee. For example, people who need physical healing, people who are grieving and need comfort, people who are feeling fearful and need peace, for those who have experienced trauma and need emotional healing.
• Pray for restoration, for support to rebuild lives and for God to restore all that was lost.

Day six: praying for peace

You will need: paper and a pen/pencil.

• Draw a series of figures on a piece of paper.
• Label each one as a group that is involved in conflict, affected by conflict or working to bring peace. For example, decision-makers and leaders, people who have had to flee, vulnerable groups, host communities, Tearfund’s local partners and staff.
• As you look at each figure, ask God to guide your prayers and pray for what you feel they need.
• You may like to focus on a particular conflict or situation and ask God to bring peace.

Day seven: returning home (prayer walk)

Go on a walk today and let your steps become prayers – mirroring, in a small way, the long and difficult journeys taken by refugees and displaced people around the world. Use each stage of your walk to pause, reflect, and lift up those who are walking toward safety, hope and home.

• As you leave your home… Pray for the moment of fleeing, ask God for protection in moments of chaos and fear.
• As you pass homes or buildings… Pray for those who have lost theirs, that they would find security, dignity and a safe place to rest.
• As you navigate streets or paths… Pray for the journey itself. Pray for safety, provision and strength. Pray especially for children, the elderly and the vulnerable on the move.
• As you notice people around you… Pray for welcome, that individuals and nations would offer compassion. Ask God to stir hearts to hospitality and justice.
• As you turn towards home… Pray for people rebuilding their lives. Ask God to bring healing and rebuilding of all that has been lost.
• As you return home… Pray for refugees who have also returned home, that they would find restoration and peace.

Bible reflection: who is my neighbour?

Read Luke 10:25-37, the parable of the Good Samaritan, through twice. Once quickly and once slowly, imagining yourself as one of the characters in the story. What would you see, hear, feel…?

In this parable, Jesus challenges us to rethink what it means to love our neighbour. The man who showed mercy was not the one expected by society, but the one moved by compassion – someone willing to cross social, cultural and religious boundaries to help a stranger in need.

Today, millions of refugees and displaced people lie ‘by the roadside’ of our global community – vulnerable, wounded by violence and often overlooked. The question Jesus asked remains urgent: ‘Which of these was a neighbour?’ The answer is clear – the one who showed mercy.

Loving our neighbours means seeing, stopping and responding. It means choosing compassion over convenience. It invites us to embody Christ’s love in a hurting world.