Pray for Hindus
Almost half of the Frontier Peoples are Hindus, living in or originating from India.
What do Hindus believe? Hindus have hundreds of ancient religious books and millions of gods, so the term Hindu does not specify a particular theology, practice, or deity. People groups with different languages and cultures which share the Vedic traditions are considered Hindus. Their worldview includes reincarnation and accepting suffering in this life as justly deserved for not living holy lives and fulfilling one’s duties in previous lives. Like most people, they are seeking to know the path of truth and the meaning of life. They want healthy lives for their families today. Spiritual cleanliness, and avoiding spiritual pollution and shame, are very important to them, and unclean food or people can pollute them. Pray that God will show them spiritual purification of the heart is a free gift from Jesus. May they know God’s personal love and acceptance through witnesses He sends to them.
What do Hindus know about Jesus?
Hindu peoples have been taught positive things about Jesus, but think of him as only the god of the Christians. Affirming all religions, they resist the universal and exclusive doctrinal claims about Jesus. However, they are attracted to the uniqueness of His holiness and wisdom. Most confuse surrender to Jesus with participating in Western church traditions. But many want to learn what the Holy Scripturessay about how to live a pure life, in wisdom and truth, through the Proverbs, Psalms and the teachings of Jesus. Women seek the best for their family into the future. Pray that Jesus would reveal Himself to Hindus as the true living God able to guide and heal them. Pray that God will send people to love and pray for their families and to share with them the Words of Life, not an alternative religion. Pray for the many men and women seeking to worship God in Spirit and Truth, who will share this message from Jesus with joy to their families and whole communities!
What else can we pray for Hindus?
People groups among Hindus are divided by long-standing caste divisions, but a few caste groups in India have vibrant movements to Jesus, where people can see that He is not foreign but The Way for them. Pray for many families to follow Jesus and for leaders of new movements to arise from these believing families that will cross caste or religious boundaries.
Pray for deliverance: The Hindu peoples go on pilgrimages and do many rituals seeking deliverance from their spiritual and earthly problems. For example, Kumbh Mela Pilgrimage in India is believed to be the largest religious gathering on the planet. In 2019 about 200 million people attended—50 million on one day– bathing in the river to gain purity, blessings, and immortality.
Pray that they will understand that God freely gives them the purity and deliverance they long for through Jesus’ sacrifice. Pray that huge movements of people finding purity and blessing through Jesuswill spread throughout the land.