Day 14. Jat in Pakistan (JAHT)

Jat people are gifted leaders and protectors. Historically, Jat traditions fostered a martial spirit—at the command of their leaders they would draw the sword to fight invaders. Whenever they lost a kingdom they would retire to the countryside and become landlords, swords still girded round their waists. Today many Jats hold government leadership positions where they influence Pakistani politics.

The Jats in Pakistan have a long Islamic history, converting to Islam as early as the 11th century. The Jats preserve their traditions and rarely marry people from other ethnic groups. Great pride is placed in their ancestry. In fact, all the Jats in a particular village consider themselves to be the descendants of the man whom they believe founded it by the power of the sword.

There are also many Jat people groups in India, including large Hindu and Sikh communities. They are also fairly wealthy and influential in India, and proudly claim equality with the higher castes. Unlike most of the large Frontier People Groups, there are sizable communities of Jat peoples in diaspora communities. The Jat people keep extensive clan lists, maintaining a strong sense of identity across national and religious lines.

Prayers for the families of the Jat of Pakistan:

Lord, send Your workers to the Jat people; to live out Jesus’ teachings, to share in their hardships, and embody hope in the Good News. Lord, raise up Jat families to lead more Jat families to share the Good News of Your Kingdom. 

Lord, bless Your Holy Scriptures in the Punjabi language to impact many communities. Provide people who are best suited to convey your Word in an understandable way to those from the Muslim faith. Bless the Jat, that Your Holy Scriptures may be available in the language they use to cry out to You.

Lord, open the hearts of the leaders of the Jat families to receive Your blessing through a movement to Jesus, and to pass Your blessing on to other families and people groups.

Jesus is blessing the Jat to: Take up the shield of faith, with which You can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying in the Spirit on all occasions. (Eph. 6:16-18)