Daunting Dashain

I wanted to take the opportunity to share with my readers about the Hindu festival currently taking place in Nepal. It is called Dashain and it is a fifteen day celebration where people have holidays from work and gather together with their families in their home towns. The festival mainly commemorates a grand victory of the Hindu gods over the wicked demons. I write to you now because tomorrow, Friday October 15, is a significant day during this festival. It is the day of sacrifice where buffaloes, goats, chickens and ducks will be sacrificed to the Hindu goddess Durga in honor of her slaying a demon god, which is believed to have looked like a buffalo. They make these sacrifices to symbolize this moment in Hindu mythology and to worship Durga. Ultimately, the entire celebration represents the power of good triumphing over evil...seems ironic, doesn’t it? That something celebratory in their eyes would be daunting in my own... also, that a ritual which is supposed to be a symbol of good involves so much death. 

Tomorrow, I actually will be going out early in the morning with another mission team to observe the rituals and sacrifices at various Hindu temples in Kathmandu. The people of this country need your prayers on this day especially. As do I. Please pray for the spiritual warfare in the atmosphere as the Spirit of God is grieved by the spiritual blindness and as Satan is pleased with the confusion of truth he supplies. Please pray that Hindus would actually be left feeling unsatisfied by these rituals and that it would lead them to question such traditions. Please pray for the Nepali Christians who will face social pressure and even humiliation for not taking part in the sacrifices and other religious practices throughout Dashain. Pray that God would strengthen them and allow them to be bright lights for Him during this time. Lastly, please pray for me. My heart is so very heavy in simply thinking about it and I know that there will be an even great spiritual heaviness within my soul as I go to observe this part of Hindu worship tomorrow. I know and am confident that “He who lives in me is greater than he who lives in the world.” I trust in His protection, and know that He is and will be with me as I witness these rituals. Your prayers for Hindus are needed. Your prayers for the people of Nepal are needed. Your prayers for the day of Dashain sacrificing are needed. And your prayers for me are needed and all of your prayers are appreciated. I will be praying, in part, the prayer of Nehemiah (originally for Israel) found in Nehemiah 1:5-6 on behalf of the people of Nepal- 

“And I said, ‘O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of NEPAL.”