India (MNN) — The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is this Sunday, November 6. But you can start praying now!
Mission India works with believers in India to conduct Children’s Bible Clubs, Church Planter Training, and Adult Literacy Classes. They are releasing a 4-day devotional from November 3-6 for IDOP 2022.
(Photo courtesy of Mission India)
Erik* with Mission India explains, “The whole goal of this devotional is to show you the issues of persecution and how persecution is being rolled out, if you will, throughout [India] towards Christians — but also then in the midst of that, how believers in India are standing up with tremendous faith in Jesus to that persecution, and doing so in a loving and gracious way.”
Each day, those who signed up will get the next part of the 4-day devotional from Mission India sent to their email.
“Our hope…with this devotional is to educate those who may not know what goes on in India in terms of persecution, but also to give hope and encouragement [and] to showcase how God is still moving amidst this persecution.”
Many of the local believers Mission India works with have experienced persecution — sometimes severely. It can look like everything from job loss to physical attacks.
Erik says, according to the annual World Watch List, “Back in 2012, India was ranked number 32 in the entire world for the most persecuted country on earth for Christians. As of today in 2022, India now ranks 10th.
“For various reasons, India has moved up that ranking, and believers in India have seen a tremendous amount of persecution just simply for who they believe in and who they worship. So because they worship Jesus, they’re being persecuted more intensely and more often than they have been in the years prior.”
(Photo courtesy of Mission India)
That is why it is more important than ever to persist in prayer for our persecuted Indian brothers and sisters in Christ. Furthermore, we should be praying for those who persecute them! (Matt. 5:44)
Along with their 4-day devotional, Mission India is also releasing a new video. “It’s about reconciliation through persecution,” Erik says. “What God is doing through our partners and our programs is tremendous, and it is very complex and nuanced. So as persecution is taking place, reconciliation and transformation are taking place as well.”
Your prayers really do have an impact. As Erik points out, “Often, people can feel alone when they’re being persecuted…. So when they know brothers and sisters around the world are lifting them up in prayer, they may not know them or what their prayers are, but just knowing they’re being supported when they’re feeling alone is tremendous.”
Click here to sign up for Mission India’s 4-day devotional!
Then, commit to praying for persecuted Christians in India and around the world leading to IDOP this Sunday, November 6.
*Last name omitted for security.
Header photo courtesy of Mission India.
