How to pray for Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus
While many Christians focus on HOW to pray for Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus, few are praying WITH them. This is a problem because praying together with friends of other faiths in Jesus’ name is one of the simplest and most effective things Believers can do to glorify Jesus. Here are simple steps for how to pray powerful, purposeful prayers WITH friends of other faiths.
Steps to pray for Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus
Be purposeful. Start by praying and looking for divine appointments throughout your daily routine. The Holy Spirit will nudge you when it’s time to initiate prayer. Most of the time, God does not speak to us out of the blue. Rather, He speaks to us when we are listening. Be paying attention so that when you are prompted as you go about your daily activities, you won’t miss opportunities to glorify the Lord.
Embrace crucial moments. When you sense the Spirit giving you a distinct direction to initiate prayer, recognize it as a crucial moment that requires a decision. You can embrace the awkwardness of initiating prayer that glorifies God, or be quiet and do nothing. Make a rule for yourself that you will always push past awkwardness to pray. It will be worth it every single time.
Know your words. Plan ahead for what you’ll say to initiate prayer. Having your words ready will embolden you to open your mouth for Jesus. Here are my go-to words for when I sense the Holy Spirit nudging me to initiate prayer with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and other non-believers.
“I know this sounds crazy – God must really love you. He stopped me just now to say hello and pray with you. Is there something I can pray for you right now?”
Identify yourself as a Jesus follower. Once you get the green light to pray with someone, identify yourself as a Jesus follower, explain what that means in about one sentence, and then ask for permission to pray together with them in Jesus’ name. Here’s how:
“Great. I’m a follower of Jesus. That just means I’ve confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, so I’m saved (note that this quote is from Romans 10:9) As a Jesus-follower, I pray in Jesus’ name – are you okay with that?
Now, pray in Jesus’ name. When you hear “Yes,” bow your head. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and silently pray that the Holy Spirit will guide your words. Finish the prayer with “in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Explain what you did and why. After praying with people of other faiths, don’t be surprised to open your eyes and find them staring at you in wonder. That’s because they may never have experienced a heartfelt prayer like this before. Here’s how to explain why you prayed in Jesus’ name.
“The Bible tells us in Romans 8:34 that Jesus sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us. That’s why I prayed for you just now in Jesus’ name.”
Do this anywhere. With the Holy Spirit’s direction, you can follow this simple process to initiate prayer with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, or any non-Believer. iHOPE alumni around the world have initiated prayers like this in grocery store aisles, park benches, dry cleaners, restaurants, and airplanes. You get the idea – pretty much everywhere. They’ve rarely been turned down because they’ve followed the Spirit’s leading.
If they can do this, you can too.
A real-life example of initiating prayer in Jesus’ name
Here’s a recent real-life example of initiating prayer with a secular non-believer that will illustrate this process in action. Note that you can follow this same process with Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus too.
While walking home after an early morning prayer walk, Kate noticed a young man sitting on the grass by a lake. He was heavily tattooed and had his music blaring. It was before 7 a.m. She prayed, “Lord, he seems scary.”
As she walked past him, she felt the Holy Spirit nudge her, “Go pray with him.”
“No, Lord. He’s intimidating,” she thought.
“Go pray with him now.”
The message was clear. She had just been praying that she might point a Muslim, a Hindu, or a Buddhist to Jesus that day. The Lord answered by leading her to a secular young man. Keeping quiet at that moment was not an obedient option. So, she stopped, sighed deeply, turned resolutely, and prayed silently
“Okay Lord. I hear you. I’m doing this, and I’m trusting you.”
While making her way to the young man, Kate had just seconds to remember her words.
“Hello. My name is Kate. I know this sounds crazy – and I feel awkward coming over here…God must really love you. He stopped me back there to come over, say hello, and pray with you. Is there something I can pray for you right now?”
He looked up at Kate in shock, teared up, and said,
“Wow. I don’t even know where to begin. Yes! There is so much I need prayer for.”
What followed was a sweet time of ministry speaking life into a troubled young man.
He left knowing about hope in Jesus.
Kate left profoundly grateful that she risked the awkwardness of initiating prayer with a non-believer. In doing so, she experienced the joy of seeing God at work in this young man’s life. It was a holy moment.
Think through how you’ll initiate prayer with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and other non-believers.
Now it’s your turn. What is the Lord stirring you to think or do differently around initiating prayer in Jesus’ name? What small steps (such as memorizing Romans 10:9) will you take to get the ball rolling in that direction?
- Of these steps for initiating prayer with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and other non-Believers, which one(s) are you most comfortable practicing?
- Which steps do you need to get more comfortable with?
- What would stand in the way of you practicing these steps to initiate prayer?
- Tell a believing friend about an ah-ha moment you had while reading this.
Take Your Learning Deeper
- Read this blog, “The 5 Essentials: Fundamentals for Sharing Your Faith.”
- Listen to the podcast episode, “How to Handle Resistance” on The Blue Cord by iHOPE Ministries podcast.
- Read these books: Muslims: 5 Biblical Essentials. and The Blue Cord.
Tag: Prayer in Jesus’ name, How to pray for Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus.
