Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
Many do not understand it, but the burden of leadership is always a heavy one. Therefore, there is no greater gift that any parishioner can give their pastor than the gift of prayer. If you have wondered how to pray for your pastor let us share with you a few ideas.
Pray that he will:
Put God First
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment.
– Matthew 22:36-38
Your pastor is just like you. He has a plethora of things that push against his priorities every single day. He will be tempted to give into many of those competing agendas.
Pray specifically that your pastor will nurture his relationship with his Heavenly Father. That it will be a relationship filled with intimacy and consistency. That he will work to know the heart of God and he will strive to be transparent in the presence of God. Seeking to confess and repent of his sins and seeking wise counsel to be a better man.
Love People
39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
– Matthew 22:39-40
In our world today, face to face relationships are being replaced by electronic encounters. It is more and more difficult to grow a deep personal relationship with another person. The ease and convenience of digital technologies are taking away from all of us the capacity to connect and emotionally relate to another human being.
It is critical that your pastor be someone that can relate to people on a deeper emotional level. That people are not just a number and they are more than just an item to check off a to do list. Pray that your pastor will be broken for the souls he is responsible for. That he will be grieved when one of them is far from God. That he will seek to serve them and not seek to be served. That he will seek to understand them and know them beyond a Sunday morning setting.
Be Protected From Spiritual Attacks
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
– Ephesians 6:10-12
Every Christian has a target on their back. Given that your pastor is responsible for so many, he is a preferred target of the enemy.
His battle will not be against the things of this world, but will be against spiritual forces that seek to destroy him. He will face an enemy that will try to disrupt his family and cause division in the church. He will need men and women that will cover him in prayer and ask that God provide a hedge of protection against such schemes.
Pray that your pastor will have a great measure of discernment. That he will recognize when things are not of God. That he will be able to discern the motives of those around him and that he will have the courage to stand for what is right.
Be Free From Debt
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
– Proverbs 22:7
One of the greatest obstacles many people face today is managing debt. It becomes a noose around the necks of many people. Even those in ministry.
Pray that your pastor will be wise in the way that he deals with money. That he and his family will find contentment in what they have and not yearn for things beyond their means. Pray that they will not covet the lifestyle of others and be tempted to spend what they do not have.
Pray that the church will compensate them well. That the church will not try and balance the budget on the backs of the pastor and his family. Pray that people will give generously to the church and the church will prioritize the welfare of their pastor.
Have A Strong Marriage
3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
– Matthew 19:3-6
If there is trouble on the home front the pastor will most certainly be distracted from his responsibilities in the church.
Pray that God will strengthen his marriage relationship. That he and his wife will serve one another. That they will be faithful to one another. That they will carve out time away from kids and work to share with just the two of them.
Pray that they will have open communication. That they will seek to understand the other’s perspective. That they will speak softly and forgive quickly. That divorce will never be an option they explore.
Pray their children will be obedient. That they will prioritize their children above ministry. That they will pay together as a family. That they will find pleasure in one another’s company. That their home will be filled with peace.
Conclusion
These are just five ways that you can pray for your pastor. We will have more ideas in the future.
If you struggle to know how to pray for your pastor. Just pause and ask yourself how you would want someone to pray for you and then pray that prayer for your pastor.
