Praying for India

India is a vibrant swirl of color and sound. Bright saris fill shop windows as Hindi love songs blast from behind the shop doors. The smell of spices dances through the air, accompanied by the fragrance of jasmine flowers adorning women’s hair. Pollution and stray animals also contribute their unique aroma as honking cars wait for sacred cows to meander across busy streets.

Everywhere, there are people. With a population of over a billion, it is hard to find a place away from the crowds in India.

Busses designed to hold only 60 passengers sway under the weight of 200 or more, and a cacophony of languages competes with the engines’ groans. There are 1,600 languages in India, though only 400 are widely spoken. The diversity of India is reflected in more than language: 4,635 distinct people groups are found in India, each vastly different in culture, social standing, and belief system.

India is also the birthplace of four major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Additionally, 10 percent of the world’s Muslims live in India.

This stark diversity creates a tremendous challenge for missions, as each unique people group requires gospel workers who will take time to understand and carefully relate to their needs.

Pray for India:

• Pray against the spirit of false religion. Hinduism, the main religion of In­dia, presents over three hundred million different gods to be worshipped. Islam is growing rapidly, with 170 million Muslims in India. Both religions, along with Sikhism, Bud­dhism, and Jainism, retain a tight grip on the soul of India.
• Pray that the Father will heal the brokenness of Indian society. Though the caste system is officially illegal, discrimination and violence against mem­bers of the lower castes are commonplace. Poverty, political corruption, il­literacy, AIDS, and domestic abuse are widespread.
• Pray that Jesus will build His church in India. For centuries Christian presence was minimal, but several revivals in the last century have resulted in pockets of Christianity throughout parts of India. Currently, less than 4% of Indians are Christians.
• Pray for workers in India. India has more unreached people groups than any other nation.
• Pray for strong discipleship and pastoral training in India’s churches. There is a tremendous need for pastors in India: There is one pastor for every six churches in India.