It’s widely agreed the situation in Afghanistan is a complete disaster. The decision to remove troops from the country resulted in the sudden displacement of tens of thousands of Afghanis, and the death of many more. Estimates are that the United States has received between 30,000 to 50,000 folks who need support for housing, employment, food, and medicine.
These refugees receive temporary shelter at military bases around the country, and the government will eventually move them to other areas prepared to assimilate refugee communities. A few will wind up in Mississippi. Their essential support comes from federal programs such as food stamps (SNAP), supplemental security income, and Medicaid, with other programs explicitly reserved for refugees.
For roughly half, these benefits will expire in as little as two months. After that, they’ll be on their own to determine how to support their families in a country that isn’t their own, whose language they may not know, and whose culture they don’t fully understand. The whole situation is enough to get anyone steamed, regardless of political affiliation.
The entire immigration situation is another source of pain for many of us. We look at the flood of immigrants streaming across the border and lament. And there are reasons to do so: it’s theft, dishonest, and it will ruin the things that make the U.S. a country to which refugees may flee.
As Christians, we don’t set aside our critical thinking skills. But we do think with criticism that is distinct from the world. So, we can decry buffoonery in national decision-making while at the same time anticipating God’s fulfillment of the promise “that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).
The Bible reveals the grand scheme to us. Based on passages like Romans 8:28 and Matthew 16:18, we know that all these events are working together to build the church of Jesus Christ.
In South Carolina, I was involved in a ministry to the Hispanic population. Many of our folks had entered the country as children when their parents came illegally. We invited a guest speaker to come and preach one Sunday. The speaker asked those in attendance to raise their hand if they’d come to know Christ after arriving in the U.S. Dozens of hands went up. In the grand scheme, those folks came here thinking they’d simply find a more secure life. In reality, God brought them here to give them eternal life.
On the one hand, the end does not justify the means. On the other hand, it should give Christians confidence to realize that our Lord even uses a broken system to glorify his name.
Commit these things to the Lord, therefore. Many missionaries chose to remain in Afghanistan to minister to the lost. They have counted the cost and decided the risk is worth it—what a witness! Pray for them! Pray for those who have been resettled in the U.S. Ask the Lord to bring them to Christ. Also, pray for our border situation to the south. God has, is, and will use all of these things to strengthen the church of Jesus Christ by bringing many sons to glory.
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