Psalm 31: 1-5, 15-16

Commentator Joel LeMon puts it simply and bluntly: “This psalmist is a refugee.” He adds that the entire Psalter is refugee literature, written by refugees for refugees, giving voice to those who yearn for safety and protection. Though scholars disagree on exactly what date the psalm was written, this part of the book of Psalms is typically viewed as a response to Israel’s experience of exile.

“In you, LORD, I take refuge. … rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.” Certainly, nearly everyone at some point longs for refuge and deliverance. This psalm speaks to us and for us in those moments. “I need your help, God. Rescue me; deliver me.” But LeMon reminds us that there are those for whom this is not a mere moment, a temporary crisis. There are those who live this psalm for months, years, even decades.

There is 7-year-old Alia, who fled her home in Aleppo, Syria and is currently living in Damour, Lebanon, and there is Bizimana, who fled his home in Rwanda and is now living in Nairobi, Kenya.

There are Wictoria, Vova, and their son, Sasha, who fled their home in Kyiv, Ukraine.

There is 75-year-old Achan, who fled her home in Pajok, South Sudan and is currently living in a refugee camp in Lamwo District, Uganda, and there is 24-year-old Fouzia, who fled her home in Kabul, Afghanistan, and lived for 14 years in Tajikistan,.

There are Noorkin and her son Yacob, who fled their home in Myanmar when Myanmar’s military and Buddhist extremist groups started clearance operations against Rohingya people. Noorkin is 40-years-old and Yacob is 10, and they’re living in Bangladesh.

The United Nations reports that as of the end of June 2025, 117.3 million people had been forced to flee their homes globally due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order. Among them were nearly 42.5 million refugees along with 67.8 million people displaced within the borders of their own countries and 8.42 million asylum-seekers. Incredibly, more than 1 in every 70 people on Earth has been forced to flee their home.

This psalm provides a stark reminder of the plight of refugees in every age. Though the identities and threats change, the experience of refugees remains consistent. They exist at the dangerous periphery of society. They are afraid, but they are also feared by the communities where they land. In 2025, the U.S. Government indefinitely suspended immigrant visa processing from 75 countries (see the full list, below). The common denominators appear to be poverty and/or countries populated largely by Muslims and people of color. The only more or less European country on the list is Russia.

The reason given for these exclusions is keeping the United States safe from terror. As Marci Glass points out, there is a risk in welcoming people to the U.S. “because people are people. We harm each other. We are not always kind. We have differing levels of mental health and stability. We have complicated family relationships and different understandings of how to live together. … We humans are a risky business.” But the real issue is the nature of that risk. Our fears – or at least, the administration’s fears – are not rational. A meme circulating the internet a while back illustrates the problem: “Muslims make up 1% of the population, commit .5% of the mass shootings, and account for 10% of U.S. doctors. So if you’re ever at the wrong place at the wrong time and get shot by a Christian, don’t worry. There’s probably a Muslim that can help.” Statistics show that we have a far greater chance of dying by being hit by a bus or falling out of bed than we do of dying by terror from a refugee from one of the countries listed on the ban.

This psalm reminds us of God’s fundamental identity as refuge. Again and again Psalm 31, like so many other psalms, portrays God as the place of protection for those seeking refuge. So what does that mean for Christians? Doesn’t it define Christian ministry as a ministry of and for refugees? Perhaps it invites us to recognize that people don’t become refugees by choice. As Marci Glass writes, “When your village is bombed, you flee. When ISIS invades your area, you flee. When famine or war make living in your home unsafe, you flee.” Perhaps it invites us to make an effort to meet some refugees and hear their stories.

Perhaps it invites us to join in the holy work of being a refuge.

© Joanne Whitt 2026 all rights reserved.

Resources:
The list of countries banned from partially or completely banned from U.S. immigration:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Myanmar, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Yemen.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/

Joel LeMon, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fifth-sunday-of-easter/commentary-on-psalm-311-5-15-16-5
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/14/full-list-75-countries-visa-processing-suspended
Marci Glass, https://marciglass.com/2017/02/01/risk-and-refugees/, February 1, 2017.
https://www.globalgiving.org/learn/listicle/13-powerful-refugee-stories/
https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/overview/figures-glance