1 Thessalonians 5:25 "Brethren, pray for us.”
The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica, asking that they pray for them. The Apostle to the Gentiles recognized that he needed prayer. Paul asks for prayers numerous times through his writings. Notice some other verses where he appeals for prayer. In 2 Thessalonians 3:1, he asks, "Finally, brethren, pray for us." In Colossians 4:3, he writes, "...praying also for us…" In Ephesians 6:18-19 he writes, "Praying always… for me." In 2 Corinthians 1:11, he acknowledged how the Corinthian church helped in praying, writing, "You also helped together in praying for us." In Romans 15:30, he pleads with the church in Rome, writing, "Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me." Paul understood that he needed prayer.
If the Apostle Paul needed to be prayed for, how much more do our pastors need our prayers? The pastor brings the sheep before the Lord in prayer, but often forgotten is that the pastor is among the flock and needs to be brought to the Chief Shepherd in prayer. How, then, do we pray for our pastors? There are seven vital prayers to pray for your pastor, one for each day of the week. First, pray for protection. Second, pray for preparation. Third, pray for provision. Fourth, pray for the progression of personal pursuits of piety. Fifth, pray for possibilities. Sixth, pray for the pastor's priorities. Last, pray for God's power. Praying for your pastor will help your pastor be effective in his minisitry.
Pray for Protection
On Monday, pray for the protection of your pastor.
Pray that God will protect him from the attacks of the wicked. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 says, "Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith." The world and the carnal hate a faithful pastor, so pray that he will be protected from them. Then, pray that God will protect him from the attacks of the Devil, both the attack of discouragement and pride. 2 Timothy 1:3-4 says, "I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears." Paul was mindful of Timothy's tears. Monday morning can be discouraging for a pastor looking back on Sunday; Satan will attack that, so pray that the Lord will protect your pastor from discouragement. Monday can also be a day of pride for the pastor, so pray that your pastor will be protected from Satan's attack to be prideful. 1 Timothy 3:6 says, "Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil." John 12:43 also says, "for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." Pray that God will keep the attack of pride and the love of praise from men away from your pastor.
Pray for Preparation
On Tuesday, pray for your pastor's preparation.
Ezra 7:10 says, "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel." Your pastor is preparing his heart and his sermon to preach on Sunday. He is studying the text, submitting to it, and he will share it. Pray that the Lord will bless his heart and study preparation. Ecclesiastes 12:9-11 says, "And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright — words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd." Your pastor seeks to speak words to be remembered, retained, and reproduced by the sheep! Pray that God will bless his communication preparation. 1 Thessalonians 3:10 says, "night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and supply what is lacking in your faith." Your pastor wants to see you grow in your faith. Pray he provides what you need to learn!
Pray for Provision
On Wednesday, pray for God to provide for your pastor.
Pray for the provision of pay. Pastors have bills like everyone else, so pray that God will supply your pastor with income. Luke 8:2-3 tells of how Jesus had people help Him financially. "Some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means." 1 Timothy 5:18 speaks even more directly that a faithful pastor deserves to be paid, saying, "For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,' and, 'The laborer is worthy of his wages.'"
Pray also for the provision of wisdom and prudence in handling people and problems. Pray that your pastor will be like Daniel in Daniel 2:14, which says, "Then Daniel responded with tact and prudence to Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon." Pray that your pastor will exemplify 1 Timothy 3:2, which says, "The Pastor is to be sober-minded," This means he must be calm, cool, and collected in the face of a crisis. Pray that God will provide your pastor with this kind of wisdom.
Pray that the Lord will provide encouragement to your pastor. Paul mentions many times how the Lord provided people to encourage him. 2 Corinthians 7:6 says, "But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus." 2 Tim. 1:16 says as well, "The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, & was not ashamed of my chain;" 1 Corinthians 16:17-18 says as well "I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied. For they refreshed my spirit." Pray that God will supply people who will encourage your pastor.
Pray that the Lord will provide help to your pastor. Exodus 18:25-26 says, "And Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. " Moses, the leader of the Israelites, needed help to lead, and the Lord provided him with those helpers. Acts 6:3 tells of the selection of the first deacons, saying, "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; " The 12 Apostles, like Moses, needed help and the Lord provided that help through the first deacons. Your pastor also needs help, so pray that the Lord will provide him with helpers.
Pray that the Lord will provide strength to your pastor. Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up." Your pastor is doing a good work but needs to be strengthened by the Lord. Nehemiah 6:9 gives Nehemiah's prayer for strength, saying, "Now, therefore, O God, strengthen my hands." Pray that the Lord will give strength to your pastor so that he will not grow weary of doing good.
Pray for Progression
On Thursday, pray for the progress of your pastor's personal pursuits of piety.
Scripture gives multiple commands to pastors to live holy and blameless lives. 1 Timothy 4:15 says, "Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all." Likewise, 1 Timothy 6:11 says, "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. " 2 Timothy 2:22 also says, "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." 1 Timothy 4:12 exhorts similarly, saying, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Peter also commands in 1 Peter 5:2-3 to "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; " Pray that your pastor will progress in these commands and practice what he preaches.
Pray for Possibilities
On Friday, pray that the Lord will give your pastor possibilities.
Colossians 4:3 says, "praying also for us, that God will open to us a door for the Word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains." Pray that the Lord gives opportunities for your pastor to share the Word of God with unbelievers and believers alike. Pray also that your pastor will seek those open doors.
Pray for Priorities
On Saturday, pray for your pastor's priorities.
Acts 6:4 says, "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Pray that your pastor's priorities will be in proper order.
Pray that he prioritizes his faith. Your pastor has to sit under Scripture's tutelage before serving the people with Scripture. Your pastor has to abide in the Lord to abound in ministry. A pastor can become so busy doing the work of the Lord that they have no time for the Lord of the work.
Pray that he prioritizes his family. What does it profit a pastor to gain the whole world and lose his family? 1 Peter 3:7 says, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. ” Your pastor must first be effective in his ministry to his family before he can be effective in his ministry to the church. Pray that your pastor does not hinder his ministry to the church by halting his ministry to his family.
Pray that your pastor prioritizes his fitness. Your pastor needs exercise, rest, relaxation, and recreation . Mark 6:31 says, "And Jesus said to them, 'Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.' For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat." As Vance Havner said, "You don't come apart…you will come apart." Your pastor needs time to rest physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Pray that your pastor will find activities that give him rest and that he will be given time to partake in those activities.
Pray for Power
On Sunday, pray that God gives your pastor power.
Your pastor needs power from God's anointing, so there will be power from the pulpit and in the preaching. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 tells of the need for power in preaching, saying, "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. " Romans 1:16 similarly says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. " Your pastor needs power to preach the Word of God. Acts 10:38 tells us how even Jesus needed that same power, saying, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with Him. " Pray that God will give your pastor the same power He gave to His own Son to proclaim the Word of God boldly.
Conclusion
There's a story of William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, that whenever he preached, he had men under the stage praying for him. Whenever Booth felt like the congregation was disengaging, he would stomp his foot and yell, "Pray!" Booth would credit his ministry's success to these men's prayers. For your pastor to succeed in ministry, he also needs your prayers. Dedicate yourself to praying for your pastor, ask your pastor how you can pray for him, and continually remind him that you are praying for him. By doing so, you'll encourage your pastor and please the Lord.
Written by Dwayne Carson, Founder of Date the Word. Date the Word is committed to connecting God’s Word to people in unique ways.
Comentarios