Diwali - Day 3 - Festival of Lights!

Today is the day many people refer to as Diwali. This is the third day of Diwali and it is usually called Diwali, Festival of Lights or Lakshmi Puja (Lakshmi Worship). Many families begin this day by making rangolis (one is seen in the picture above). Diwali is the Festival of Lights! Light is the theme of this day of the holiday! Houses and businesses are all decorated with lights. On this night, people will light diyas (lamps) and light firecrackers most of the night! Light is an important part of this holiday! It is the conquering of light over darkness!

"You O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."

Psalm 18:28

Please pray for the people of Delhi during this holiday. Pray that they will learn about the true light of the world! Pray that followers of Jesus will shine their light and share with others about the light of the world! Pray that Christians are bold in sharing their light! Pray for lives to be changed!!

Diwali - Day 1 - Dhanteras

Today is the first day of Diwali. Diwali (also called the Festival of Lights) is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs. The first day of Diwali is known as Dhanteras and it is the biggest shopping day of the year. During this holiday, people will honor and worship Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth. The purchase of new things - especially in the form of a precious metal - is said to bring luck and wealth to the home for the next year. The more precious metal and more money you spend, the more luck and wealth you will have.

Please pray for the Hindus, Jains and Sikhs of Delhi during this time of Dhanteras. Pray that they will come to understand what true wealth is! Pray that the Christians of Delhi will share with their unbelieving friends about true wealth in Jesus Christ!For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Though him you believe in God, who raised him form the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God."

1 Peter 1:18-21

Delhi Information

Delhi is about 82% Hindu, 11.7% Muslim, 4.3% Sikh, 1.1% Jain and 0.9% Christian. While Delhi's death rate is lower than most of India, there are still about 271 registered deaths in Delhi per day. With only 0.9% of the population claiming to be Christian, that is a lot of people that are dying daily without a relationship with Jesus Christ!

Please pray for the 99.1% of the people in Delhi that don't have a relationship with Jesus. Pray that they will get the opportunity to hear about Jesus! Pray for the Christians of Delhi that they would be active in sharing their faith with the people they are in contact with daily that don't know Jesus!

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."
Philemon 1:6