Borders

Sealed Out Refugees

According to The Wall Street Journal's article by Margit Feher, Hungary has now created a law "criminalizing illegal border crossings," with a boost from " a loophole in existing European Union travel regulations," to stop the influx of migrants on its southern border (Sept. 9, 2015). The penalty may be years in prison. 

A Bible narrative that parallels this situation may shed some spiritual light on how we can address this effectively. When Balak, king of Moab, saw that a multitude (the children of Israel) were about to overrun the border of his country, he was afraid. There were too many of them. He feared they would take over the whole land. He wanted to prevent their entry. Numbers 22:4 says that "Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel." The description in verse 5 says that "they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me."

Balak sent for Balaam who was known to be a prophet that could cause events to change according to his prayer. He commands that Balaam curse the people, allowing the king to "prevail ... and drive them out of the land" (22:6). God tells Balaam that the people are blessed and he cannot curse them. When forced to accompany the soldiers, the prophet appears before the king, and repeats that he cannot do anything more or less than God commands. Therefore, when taken to the top of a hill overlooking the mass of people heading for the border, Balaam blesses them. Balak, the king, is irate.
He blesses the people 3 times.

Where the Syrian refugees go, what borders they cross, what seas they dare, what guides they hire, what courage they muster to try all manner of escape to find home and safety for themselves and their children, these right endeavors are guided by the divine Intelligence and they are blessed in every right move under the motive of Love one for another. So long as the motive is pure, they are blessed. Nothing can prevent an individual from demonstrating home when his/her heart is pure and the motive is right. 

How hard would you try for your children (or loved ones) to keep them safe? What dangers would you face? If one way does not open, there will be another way, a better way. WHAT TO KNOW: The prayerful-meditation here is to get to realization of the presence and power of divine Love, its infallible guidance, tender protection, and the divine will that every one of His/Her sons and daughters be at peace and secure in a good manifestation of "home." 

Syrian Refugee Crisis

Lessons, Parallels, and Living Water: Exodus of Old Testament / Syrian Exodus

HOW TO PRAY WITH POWER FOR THE SYRIAN REFUGEES

About four million Syrians, nearly half of whom are under 18, have fled, and continue to flee from their country after four years of a devastating civil war. This has created the largest refugee population of our time. A parallel from thousands of years ago is most useful in guiding us in effective prayer -- prayer that effectively causes the manifestation of good that meets human needs. The historical Biblical account concerns approximately the same number of innocent people; the Israelites who fled Egypt under Moses' command following 400 years of hard labor in slavery. 

The world is being moved to compassion. More individuals every day feel compelled to do something to help. Some needful steps that provide direct aid are listed in an article entitled: "Quick facts: What you need to know about the Syria crisis" (mercy corps.org). To these right efforts we need to add the power of the prayer that produces the most profound manifestation of good, that operates as a law to meet the many and varied needs of individual refugees. In this blog we will focus on the need for clean water, and how practical spiritual truth realized in prayer can be.

Mercy corps.org reports that "in some areas with the largest refugee populations, water shortages have reached emergency levels." Moses led his people through the desert, and their sojourn lasted over 40 years. Early on, they ran out of food and water. In Exodus 17:3, the people, terrified, demand of Moses, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” Moses prays for God's help, and the outcome can be read and studied in verses 5 and 6 (below). 

God's answer to Moses, to the one praying for a way that water be given to so many thousands in the desert: “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel" (Ex. 17:5-6).

Water came out of the rock, and everyone, including the livestock, had more than enough to drink. Metaphysically, applying the ideas of these verses to consciousness for guidance in prayer and action, we begin with, "Go out in front of the people." So what do YOU do? You are not going to literally go out in front of four million refugees -- but your conscious awareness of God's Presence being there -- send THAT out in the FRONT of this situation. God says, "I will stand there before you." God is Spirit and fills all space. God is Love that manifests in compassion. "I will stand there before you." We are to realize the Presence of the Omnipresent Love. 

Additionally, Moses is told to take in his hand (power of Spirit) the "staff" with which he worked an earlier miracle on the Nile. A staff is something to lean on. Think on other times when you have experienced God's help and the manifestation of things needed, and lean on that proof for certainty of your prayer and God's power to meet the refugees' needs. Further, Moses is told to take action, "Strike the rock." Don't just stand there. Do not neglect to go into some time of quiet meditative prayer to realize God's presence out in front, before all world thought and belief, above and before all doubt and fear. As God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness, so that same law of Love is present to provide for us today.

ACTION STEP: As you go to sleep tonight, think on the story of Moses striking the rock and the water flowing forth for all the people. Realize the presence of God, Love, in front of all world beliefs of lack, and His spoken word to bring forth living waters, clean water, water for the refugee babies, water for the moms and dads, water for all. It comes from the rock, Christ. The law of God, Good, behind this manifestation changes not, and is present now to do this.