Key date – 20 June: World Refugee Day

Very few safe routes exist for refugees or those seeking asylum, and IDPs generally fare little better.

Use these scriptures to pray for those who have been forced to flee, including because of their religion or belief. You could say a simple prayer like this:

“Lord Jesus, your word says [say the scripture out loud]. Would you provide [insert need] for those who are asylum seekers, refugees or IDPs today. Amen.”

Hope

‘But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.’ (Psalm 9:18) Rest and guidance ‘He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.’ (Psalm 23:3)

Hospitality and provision

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

Justice

‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.’ (Isaiah 42:1 ESV)

Healing and strength

‘I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak…’ (Ezekiel 34:16a ESV)

Love and protection

‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?’ (Romans 8:35)

Peace

‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)

Download a printable copy of this week’s Prayer Diary

Facts and stats

Internally Displaced People (IDPs):

People who have been forced to flee their homes by conflict, violence, persecution or disasters. Unlike refugees, they remain within their own country.

Asylum Seekers:

People who have been forced to flee dangers in their home country. They are seeking refuge in a different country, but their claim for refugee status is yet to be determined. Not all asylum claims are accepted.

Refugees:

People who have fled danger in their home country and are unable to return safely. This could be due to war or a well- founded fear of facing persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a particular social group. Refugee status is granted once an asylum seeker’s claim is deemed genuine.

Refoulement:

Forcibly returning refugees or asylum seekers to countries where they have a well-founded fear of persecution. Refoulement is illegal under international law, but some countries still send people back to certain danger.

Those currently at risk of being refouled include Iranian refugees and asylum seekers in Türkiye; Vietnamese refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand; Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt; and North Koreans in China.

67% of the world’s refugees originate from just five countries: Venezuela, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Sudan. Source: UNHCR (February 2026)