Pray for your Pastor

Do you think about praying for your Pastor?  Do you realize that they need encouragement?  Do you see them as needing a friend?

They work long hard hours and they can get burned out and discouraged.  They visit people in the hospital, counsel people who need help, and minister to the people in the community who need someone to listen.  They are a blessing to the people they encounter every day.  Yet, do you hold them up in prayer?

Here are some ideas to use as you pray for your pastor…

Faithfulness – pray that he will continue to be faithful to God and to the church.  Pray that he is faithful in his commitments to his family.  Pray that he is faithful to proclaim the Word.  Pray that he remains faithful to the calling on his life.

Psalm 89:1 “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.”

Time for Bible Study and Prayer – pray that he will have uninterrupted time for Bible study and prayer.  Pray that he is immersed in the Word.  Pray that the Word fills his heart and overflows out to others.  Pray that he will seek God with all His heart and that He would be in tune with what the Lord is teaching him.  Pray that he will have the courage and the faith to share what God lays on his heart.

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

Rest and Health – pray that he is able to rest at night giving all his burdens to the Lord.  Pray for him and his family that they stay physically healthy.  Pray that he takes enough time for himself to stay mentally healthy.  Pray that he has good family time and that his family doesn’t take a back seat to his ministry.  Pray for his marriage that it will remain strong.

Provision – pray that God will abundantly provide for him and his family.  Pray that they lack for nothing but that they remain dependent on God for everything.  It is hard to minister to others if you are concerned how to provide for your family.

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Wisdom and Direction – pray that he will desire the wisdom of God the way Solomon did.  Only God knows the future and so only God can direct our paths in the proper way. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 16:9 “ In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Psalm 27:23 “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;”

Fellowship – pray that he will have godly friends.  Friendships that will allow him to be himself and allow him to be accountable to another Christian brother.  Pray that they are able to talk about things of the Lord – both the good and the bad.  Pray that they would encourage each other to finish the race and keep the faith.

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

Colossians 3:16 “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”