Pray for These People

St. Paul urges us that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people (1 Timothy 2:1). I tried to make a list of people and people-groups who may need my prayers. Over time the list grew and grew to include more than 300 groups of people!  I have given them under eight different headings.  You may pick and choose and start praying!

EVANGELISM

1. Evangelists, their families, evangelical organizations, their employees, supporters. Cross-cultural evangelists, those working under difficult, dangerous conditions, among hostile people, under threat from individuals, religious organizations, government/military.
2. For resources, funds, equipment, vehicles, books, journey mercies.
3. World Christians, churches, seminaries, Christian fellowships, Christian communities. Persecuted Christians, secret Christians, underground churches.
4. Pastors, missionaries, priests, nuns, Bible colleges, students.
5. Revival/evangelical meetings, radio, TV, Internet evangelism, rallies, crusades. Training programs, seminars, translations work, scripture, and tract distributions. Ministry through songs, CDs, books, magazines. Sunday schools, vacation Bible classes. Special groups, prayer cells.
6. Victims of religious persecution. Individuals, governments, political parties, social and religious organizations and groups who practice this.
7. For elimination of corruption, infighting, power hunger, competition, greed, jealousies among Christian workers.
8. Christian charity organizations, relief missions, social outfits.
9. Hard-hearted people who resist the message of love; agnostics, atheists, communists; idol worshippers, spirit worshippers. For the salvation of Hindus, Moslems, Jews, Roman Catholics, nominal Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Baha’is, Shinto’s and for people who belong to more than 4200 world religions/belief systems.
10. For countries closed for evangelism, scriptures. Communist countries, Muslim countries, Buddhist countries, for Christians living there.

SICKNESS

1. Seriously ill, those suffering from “incurable” conditions, congenital diseases, debilitating diseases, AIDS, cancer, diabetes, swine flu, Chikungunya, Ebola, Zika, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, tuberculosis, malaria; terminally ill people; poor who can’t afford quality medical treatment, and modern investigations; those who can’t reach hospitals.
2. Scientific research for developing remedies, vaccines for cancer, AIDS, other conditions;
3. Old people, handicapped people, disabled people, senile people, mentally deficient.
4. National health services, Government health departments, hospitals, nursing homes, medical colleges, paramedical institutions, laboratories, old peoples’ homes, health insurance companies.
5. Doctors, nurses and paramedical staff; Relief organizations, research centers. Scientists working for developments of remedies, vaccines for many diseases.

RULERS

1. Government – state government, national government, corporations, municipalities, panchayats and other forms of self-government. Political stability, law and order, social justice. Wise policymakers. Compassionate, conscientious rulers. For participation of more women in political process.
2. Indian space research
3. Eradication of corruption, inefficiency, laziness, favoritism, nepotism.
4. Ministerial cabinet, legislature, army, police, judiciary. Para-military forces, private armies.
5. Healthy, responsible opposition parties.
6. World governments – oppressive, autocratic and discriminative governments. Puppet and incompetent governments, arrogant governments. Apathetic governments; Prejudiced and biased rulers. Those who abuse political and military authority. For Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, North Korea, Sub-Saharan African countries.
7. Refugees. People who flee their countries to escape oppression, discrimination,

Injustice, cruelty.

8. Developed nations to help the poorer countries.

WOMEN’S WELFARE

1. Women: exploited women, victims of domestic violence, those trapped in unhappy marriages, ill-treated by in-laws, husbands.
2. Widows, divorcees, single mothers, unmarried mothers, deserted women, working women, single women, girls unable to get married for different reasons.
3. Pregnant women, patients suffering from reproductive diseases, child-birth related conditions.
4. Sexually harassed women, rape victims.
5. Barren women, those despised for not bearing male off-springs.
6. Commercial sex workers (prostitutes).

CHILDREN

1. Children: Exploited children. Victims of ragging, eve-teasing, molestation, incest, rape and other forms of sexual harassment, pornography.
2. Working children, ill-treated children, abandoned children, street children, children forcibly recruited by armed forces and by terrorists, for sex work.
3. Orphans, absconding, kidnapped, maimed. From poor, crowded, unhygienic homes, broken homes. Victims of violent parenting, oppressive educational system.
4. Children forced into hard labor, child prostitution, beggary, crimes; Victims of bonded labor.
5. Victims of AIDS, cancer, other incurable diseases, disabilities, congenital abnormalities.
6. School children exploited by teachers, children with learning difficulties, children denied education.
7. For good schools. Quality education to be available to all children.

YOUTH

1. Youth addicted to alcohol, drugs, pornography, tobacco, and other substances. Addicted to television, the Internet, social networks, gambling, other bad habits.
2. Sexually corrupt, fornicators, perverts, rapists, adulterers, polygamists, philanderers, womanizers, flirts.
3. Homosexuals, lesbians, transgender, bi-sexuals
4. Film/television actors, producers, directors, musicians, dancers et al.
5. Young men and women waiting to be married, childless couples.
6. Unemployed, under-employed.
7. Students, trainees, apprentices.
8. Sportspersons.

POVERTY

1. Poor, destitute persons, slum dwellers, hutment dwellers, pavement dwellers. Neglected old people, senile people.
2. Indigenous people, tribals, ethnic minorities. Displaced people, migrant laborers, illegal immigrants. Victims of forced migration, genocide. Victims of racial, caste, ethnic and religious discrimination. Victims of abuse of government/military power. Marginalized, socially ostracized people.
3. Individuals, governments, political parties, social and religious organizations that encourage racial violence, religious persecution. 
4. Illiterate, ignorant, innocent, defenseless, superstitious.
5. Victims of injustice, discrimination, exploitation, cruelty. Prisoners of conscience, political prisoners and others held without trial, tortured, made to disappear.
6. Victims of natural calamities, accidents, war, riots, famine, terrorism.
7. Charity organizations. Human rights organizations, volunteers. Organizations/individuals who fight against injustice.
8. For government help to deserving candidates and proper utilization of Government-allocated funds.
9. Prices of essential commodities to remain within reach of poor; scientists engaged in research to increase food production.

INDIANS ABROAD

1. Non-resident Indians, citizens of Indian origin, their families.
2. Victims of racial attacks, hate crimes in western countries.
3. Semi-skilled and unskilled laborers enslaved in West Asian countries, Security of their jobs, families.
4. Politicians, merchants, businessmen, cultural activists--traveling abroad.
5. Indian students abroad, foreigners in India –         particularly evangelists, missionaries.
6. For the world economy, Indian economy.

MISCELLANEOUS

1. Safety and comfort of the traveling public. Those who operate various vehicles in the air, land, sea and underwater. Tourists, tourism industry.
2. Soldiers, educators, research scientists, professionals, bureaucrats, technocrats, industrialists, farmers, sanitary workers. Traders, merchants, imports, exports. Those working in mines, sea, desert, forests, mountains. Men and women doing hazardous jobs, dirty jobs. Those exposed to extreme weather conditions due to the nature of their jobs.
3. Hardened criminals, wild people, evil people, corrupt people, violent people, murderers, rapists, arsonists, rogues, thieves. Prison inmates. Death-row prisoners.
4. For the elimination of wars and global terrorism with all its evil consequences - Terrorist organizations of various shades.

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You may be astounded by the bewildering variety and sheer volume of the issue at hand. Of course, no one can be expected to remember the above list and offer prayers, but we must remember there are lots and lots of people who need our prayers. “The harvest is enormous, but the labor is small” Jesus warned us 2000 years ago. Praying people are the urgent need of the hour. Pray that God will raise prayer warriors everywhere.

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