Recently Alice Davidson shared with the Spiritual Council some ideas on praying for the pastors.  As a pastor, I can tell you I’m in favor!

The Apostle Paul repeatedly asked churches to pray for him.  For example, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.  Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should” (Colossians 4:3-4, NIV).

The specific requests may change (they did for Paul) depending on the ministry setting.  But the need for prayer does not.

Perhaps you have your own ideas of how to pray for your pastors.  These were the ideas Alice shared with the Council –

Monday:  Pray for their own walks of faith – for their prayer lives, for their faith – that they would grow spiritually and in their love for God.

Tuesday:  Pray for their leadership roles – seeking future vision, and leading the church into that vision, encouraging and enabling church members in ministry.

Wednesday: Pray for their role as shepherds who bring the love of Jesus and guide the members of the congregation.  Pray especially for guidance in dealing with difficult relationships.

Thursday: Pray for their preaching ministries that they themselves would hear and believe God’s Word, and proclaim it faithfully and effectively.

Friday: Pray for their personal time – for relaxation and renewal, avoiding the pressures and stress of ministry. Pray for their role as husbands and fathers.

Saturday: Pray for wisdom and discernment in balancing their time.

Sunday: Pray for them as worship leaders and church leaders.

Another way to pray for us – pray for individual staff members you know on different days of the week or month.

What we do is only valuable if the Lord directing and using our lives and ministries.  Paul, Jesus, and a host of other biblical men and women knew that prayer was vital to all they did.

So, we agree with the Apostle Paul…pray for us!

Bob Thompson, Pastor