https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11277/TH
Introduction / History
Centuries ago the Thai lived north of Yangtzekiang in China. Relentless pressure by the Chinese gradually forced them southward. They conquered many peoples and cultures as they sought a new homeland, and by the 10th century they had settled in Central Thailand. A bloodless revolution in 1932, led by Westernized intellectuals, instituted a democratic constitutional monarchy. However, the country has suffered numerous governmental upheavals since then. Today, Buddhism is the central and unifying force in Tai society and even maintains social control. They speak Thai, the official language of the country.
What Are Their Lives Like?
The Thai are unusually polite, respectful, and hospitable people. Their children are brought up to respect those of a higher rank, with additional emphasis on independence and self-reliance. The Thai seldom use physical punishment to discipline children.
Age is highly respected in Thai society. Type of occupation, wealth, and place and type of residence follow age in terms of respect and rank. Rural farmers rank below artisans, merchants, and city government officials; clergy form a separate group. Families are the core of Thai society. In rural areas, the immediate family usually lives, eats, and farms together. A young married couple may live with the bride’s family until they can establish their own home.
The Thai are distinguished by a near absence of labor division by gender. Both men and women plow, till, fish, cook, tend babies, clean house, and wash clothes. Rice is the major economic crop, providing both a food staple and a cash crop.
The wealthiest Thai live in wood-framed homes that are raised off the ground and have plank floors, hard wood or mahogany panels, and tile roofs. The poorest villagers live in bamboo homes with thatched roofs and dirt floors. There are a wide variety of homes in the cities: multi-level cement houses, houses that are attached to or above shops, townhouses, apartment complexes, or wooden houses. The temple and school are prominent features in the villages. Water taxis transport people and cargo on polluted waterways that connect houses and other buildings.
What Are Their Beliefs?
Theravada Buddhism was introduced in Thailand in 329 B.C. Almost all of the Thai are devout followers of Buddha (“the enlightened one”) and seek to eliminate suffering and improve their future by gaining merit in pursuit of perfect peace, or nirvana. They believe that merit can be acquired through feeding monks, donating to temples, and attending worship services.
Traditionally, young men enter a Buddhist monastery for three months to study Buddhism. The Thai also attempt to incorporate their Buddhist beliefs with folk animism, a practice in which they seek help through the worship of spirits and objects.
Prayer Points
Ask God to raise prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
Pray that God will grant wisdom and favor to missions agencies currently ministering to the Thai.
Ask God to send Christian teachers and medical teams to work among the Thai.
Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Thai towards Christians so that they will be receptive to the Gospel.
Ask the Lord to raise up strong local churches among the Thai.
Use these resources to help pray specifically each day.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Romans 8:26
Read"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24
Read“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:19-20
Read“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
Read“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4
Read“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.” 1 Timothy 2:1
Read“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6:
Read“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” Matthew 6:9-13
Read"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16
Read"Rejoice always, pray continually, GIVE THANKS in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Read"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Collosians 4:2
Read"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." Romans 8:26
Read"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." Daniel 6:10
Read"These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." Isaiah 56:7
Read"May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." Psalm 141:2
Read"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4
Read“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18
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