30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening
Verses for contemplation: Isaiah 44
Tradition says the Apostle Bartholomew took the Gospel to Pakistan, and Thomas to India, where he was martyred in AD 72. Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, who ministered to India’s lower classes in 1542, baptized 30,000 Paravar people. William Carey, instrumental in evangelical missions and the translation of the Bible, began his work in India in 1793. Then in 1896, a severe famine and a plague devastated the nation, sparking Christians to fervently seek the Lord. In 1905, revival broke out and spread to several areas of India, with many renouncing sin and coming to faith in Christ.
Today, all of these countries are closed to missions, and the number of unreached people groups is staggering. But in India, many of the lower caste minority peoples, especially in the northwest, are experiencing a spiritual awakening, with thousands turning to Christ and underground churches multiplying despite persecution from Hindu and Muslim extremists.
See this powerful video from Global Christian Relief about what Christians in India face:
Instances like these happen all the time in India and Pakistan, and the other countries in this region:
- A brutal attack rendered Indian Christian Manoj unconscious and excommunicated from his village. He lost everything, but said, “Jesus forgave His persecutors. So will I.” (March 17, Global Christian Relief Facebook reel)
- In January, two Pakistani Christian girls, Saba Shafique, 12, and Saneha Sharif, 14, were abducted separately, and Saba was forced to marry her kidnapper and convert to Islam. They are both safely at home now, praise God. (March 13, Voice of the Martyrs Canada)
Prayer points to consider:
- Unreached peoples !!!!!
- Buddhist and Islamic extremists
- Violence, terrorism
- Forced marriages of Christians to Muslims (especially in Pakistan)
- Oppressive governments
- Censorship of Christian materials
- Child brides, abductions
- Spiritual warfare (more than 3,000 Hindu “gods”)
- Poverty, hunger
- Caste system (India)
Prayer starter:
Father, the number of unreached peoples in South Asia is overwhelming, with 2,135 just in India, and a total of 3,661 all throughout this region. Please have mercy. Make a way for Your Word to be translated into every language and made available. Call out Christians who will cross over language and other barriers by Your command to live among the unreached, shining Your light into their darkness. These countries don’t allow missionaries, so please, God, open the way for Christians to enter and for every heart to have the opportunity to know of Your great love for them and Your plan of salvation. Where violence and oppression are so prevalent among religious extremists, please, Father God, be a Shield of protection around believers. Hide them, their families and their churches from those who mean to do them harm. But make a way for those who are hungry for You, who truly want to know Truth, to find them, hear Your Good News and be saved. Bless Christians abundantly, even miraculously, especially in areas where they must endure poverty for their faith. Bless them so greatly they will abundantly bless their neighbors and thousands will turn to You because of Your faithfulness and love. Heal the sick, give sight to the blind, make the lame walk again, raise the dead, perform so many signs and miracles that all will know You alone are God. Topple every idol and tear down every wall against You in such dramatic ways throngs from every tribe and tongue will flock to You, as You awaken them to Your love and truth. Don’t let even one more person die without hearing Your Good News.
Parallel Prayer: Our 30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening coincides with Ramadan. March 1-30, Muslims throughout the world are fasting and seeking God right now. Let’s pray they find Him!
Lord, Muslims are persecuted severely by Hindus in India. As they run to find safety, come and meet them in powerful ways to show them Your love. Make a way for them to hear Your Good News and choose Jesus as King. Bring Christians to them to hide and protect them and share truth with their hungry hearts. There are also Muslims in this region who persecute Christians in unspeakable ways. Get up in their face, Lord, and show them Your glory. Let them see Your angels standing around the Christians they seek to harm, guarding them. Walk with Your people in the midst of every fire, and bring them out unscathed. Haunt Muslim persecutors in their dreams, pointing them to the Way, the Truth and the Life. Show them who You are, and lift the darkness from their minds, setting them free to lay down everything, repent of their sin and follow You. In Your name. Amen.
Dinner and a Prayer: Each day during these 30 days, we will share with you ideas for special family prayer times, including a suggested menu to go with that day’s prayer theme. Today’s suggestions:
Search the internet to choose recipes from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and/or Sri Lanka. Ask your family to research some of these countries, and share their findings at dinner. Menu suggestions: kwati dal (Nepal), Indian curry, Tibetan tingmo bread, Sri Lankan watalappan (cardamom spiced coconut custard)
You can also go to Joshua Project to discover unreached peoples, and Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs to see where and how Christians are persecuted.
If you would like to plan ahead for international meals, see the “Dinner and a Prayer” section at the bottom of our 30 Days page or in the back of your 30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening, Vol 2 book.
Don’t Miss a Day of Prayer
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For suggestions on how to have an even fuller experience this month, check out our 30 Days and So You Think You Can’t Fast pages here at the Prayer Wall.
A full-color book, 30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening, Volume 2, is available in both paperback or pdf format (for Kindle and other devices) at MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com.
Help your children grow in character through the transformational power of Christ with the fun activity Bible study workbook 1-2-3 Walk in Step with Me at MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com. You will also find a variety of prayer journals to take into your quiet times with the Lord at our website, including Bejeweled: Touch of India Journal.
More books for all ages from MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com:
Mikaela Vincent and her husband are missionaries who live by faith, trusting in God to provide for their needs as they pray for and share Christ with the nations. If you would like to help their ministry through giving a donation, shopping at Mikaela’s online bookstore, praying for them or inviting them to speak at your church, retreat or other event, click the buttons below:
Any proceeds this author receives from the sale of the deep devotional Bible studies and other MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com books mentioned in this post go to shining Christ’s light in the darkness and seeing the nations come to Him.
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