Evidenced by the continual growth in the number of families displaced and lives lost, the Syrian refugee crisis persists. The world watches in horror, searching for signs of an end to the catastrophic loss. In the face of such tragic circumstances, stories of triumph and hope are scarce, leaving a void among those searching for both.

In this video, IMB President David Platt expounds on the opportunity before the church and beckons all to see that “in his goodness, God turns even the tragedy of forced migration into future salvation.”

“God turns even the tragedy of forced migration into future salvation.”

This expectation of a redemptive end through even such horrendous means as the refugee crisis finds its roots in the book of Acts. “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him” (Acts 17:26–27a ESV).

The church must be a beacon of hope in this desperate time. Some of us must go, some of us must give, and all of us must pray. We cannot overlook the opportunity we have to meet the needs of the hurting and offer the hope of the gospel.