“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” (I John 4:18a)

The coronavirus pandemic is raging in India, and our brothers and sisters in Christ there need our prayers of solidarity.

Earlier this year Indians thought the worst of COVID-19 was behind them, but then a spike in infections led to a caseload count of more than 20 million. Samaritan’s Purse, which is one ministry active with local partners in the region, notes that many in need of treatment have faced a serious shortage of hospital beds and supplies, including oxygen.

View Comments (2)

In an article this week on Indian church responses to the crisis, Dr. Michael Brown added , “If you have heard the horror stories from India during this second, deadly wave of COVID – stories of people dying in the streets for lack of beds and hospitals – those stories are true.”

This resurgent crisis is presenting numerous challenges for Christians in India. For one, like all Indians, they are in need of care. But reports from ministries like Open Doors USA suggest they may lose out on food and other aid because of their faith.

It may seem to be a paradox, but the world’s largest democracy is also one of the most perilous places in the world for Christians. In fact, Open Doors ranks India as the 10th most dangerous country for believers (worse than China), and the pandemic opens more possibilities for persecution. According to one of Open Door’s local partners , “We’ve seen countless acts of discrimination. Christians are being ignored in the food distribution. Whether that’s because the government doesn’t give it to them or because the local villagers send them away, it’s still discrimination.”

Open Doors and others also report difficulties for ministry work when a number of their leading partners and their families are contracting and suffering from the virus. Indeed, estimating that hundreds of pastors and lay leaders had already died in the pandemic, the general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India recently told Christianity Today that the church in India is “headed for a leadership vacuum.” Similarly, Prabhu Singh, principal of the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS), told CT, “One of the heartbreaking results of this intense second wave in the country is the tragic loss of senior leaders of Christian organizations and seminaries as well as church pastors and lay leaders.” Singh added, “As we continue to navigate tough terrains and unchartered territories, we need the sustained prayers and support of the global church so that we can continue to be the salt and light of the nation during this grave hour.”

And in that spirit of being salt and light, many Indian Christians are stepping bravely into the gap for their communities. CT reports that seminaries across the massive country are opening their dormitories to neighbors – regardless of religion – who need quarantine and recovery space. Dr. Brown, too, recounted efforts of leaders like Pastor Satish Kumar, who leads Calvary Temple in Hyderabad. According to India. Today, that megachurch is partnering with local hospitals to convert part of its campus into a much-needed COVID recovery center with hundreds of beds and fully covered medical treatments and food for those admitted for care.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing serious persecution and a loss of leadership. And they are also being presented with tremendous opportunities to show the selfless love of Christ to their neighbors.

Let’s lift them up now. Let’s agree with them in their call expressed during a recent day of prayer and fasting to be “people of hope” reaching “out in the love of Christ and in compassion to help our fellow citizens.”

As they proclaimed, “The love of God dispels all fear.” Amen.

Share how you are going to pray in the comments.

(Aaron Mercer is a Contributing Writer with two decades of experience in Washington, D.C.’s public policy arena. He reflects on faith, technology, and the public square at FTPolicy.com. Photo Credit: Naveed Ahmed/Unsplash)