PRAYING FOR YOUR PASTOR: PART II: "HOW" TO PRAY - SOME PRACTICAL PRAYERS

PART II: "HOW" TO PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR - SOME PRACTICAL PRAYERS
(part 1 - "why" - click here)

During your week, your day, in the middle of the night, in your personal time with God - is your Pastor on your mind?  Is your Pastor, his spiritual life, leadership, or family life something about which you pray?  Do you come to your church service having lifted your Pastor to God in prayer during the week?   Do you only think of him or her when the sermon starts?  

One Saturday night at about 3:30 AM I awoke, stumbling about the house looking for a snack.  I was in college at the time. Immediately, I felt this urgent need to pray for our pastor.  In my sleepy fog, I somehow chose not to ignore that voice, and I stopped and prayed. It felt like a spiritual battle was being waged.  I prayed and prayed and prayed for nearly an hour. Then, as suddenly as the urgency hit me, it was gone.  I ate a Pop Tart and went back to sleep. The next morning during church service, our pastor said "Oh, by the way, someone was praying for me around 3:30 this morning. I could sense it and I wanted to say thank you. I was really struggling with something, and I could tell someone was praying for me."

I say that not to brag, but to illustrate that God's leaders need prayer. The signs are out there  about who needs prayer and when, if we will just still ourselves enough to listen. Those prayers are a blessing and a comfort to Pastors.

That experience caused two things to stick with me to this day:
1. Pastors need our prayers.
2. Our prayers for our Spiritual Leaders...............WORK!

"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5: 16)

We pray for our Pastors because we love them, and want God's best for them.  So here are some simple, basic ways to approach God on behalf of your Pastor.

PRAYER PREP:  DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!

• Confess to God anything in your heart you've held against your pastor. Confess to God any gossip or dissension you have caused.
• Repent of unfair expectations you've had of your pastor, or any judgment you've held against him.
• Read Exodus 17.  Notice the desire of Aaron and Hur to support Moses, to serve him as their leader.  Work to assimilate that attitude into your heart.

"Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.  As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle."


The simplest way to pray for your Pastor?  Find Bible verses in your own personal spiritual study, and use those verses as a basis to pray those for your pastor.

PRAYING FOR YOUR PASTOR'S - PRIVATE SPIRITUAL LIFE

• Pray that your Pastor will Love God with ALL his heart.
• Pray that your Pastor will have strong CHARACTER and INTEGRITY. 
• Pray that your Pastor will be a man of Prayer and Worship.  Pray that he will have, and make time for these. 
• Pray for your pastor's personal walk and journey with God. Pray for his own spiritual ability to hear God - NOT as it relates to ministry, but as it relates to his needs, wounds, growth areas and that God simply LOVES him.
• Pray that Scripture will dwell in your Pastor's heart, that it will heal and transform him, and that it will affect all that he sees, does and feels.  Pray for his ability to MEDITATE on God's Word for his own personal encouragement.
•  Pray against distractions in his personal time with God.
• Ask God to reveal, IN LOVE, any actions or words of the Pastor that may have been in the flesh, and may have wounded people.  
• Pray for the Pastor to have clear personal vision for his life, to be refreshed, and to have personal revival.

PRAYING FOR YOUR PASTOR'S - MINISTRY

• Pray that Scripture and the Holy Spirit will guide his counsel, teachings, decisions and relationships.
• Pray that your pastor will not be beaten down by discouragement, but will sense God's calling and strength, and will stand strong.
• Pray for the financial needs of the church to be met.
• Ask God for the Pastor to remain a "man of grace and love."
• Pray for strong men and women of God who are gifted, people who can be and desire to be raised up as leaders.
• Ask God to reveal and heal any hurts, rejections, disappointments, losses, and fears that may hinder his faith, leadership and his ministry.
• Ask God to provide men and women that the pastor can trust with his fears, failures and weaknesses; people who will support him, affirm his calling, hold him accountable and protect him, his family, his time and his heart.
• Ask God to bring unity to the body.  Pray against division, gossip, and anyone who would undermine the Pastor's authority.
• Ask God to provide people who can serve, so that the Pastor can focus on his gifts and his priorities.
• Pray for the Pastor to be able to say "No" sometimes, and not feel guilty about it.
• Ask God to bring a new level of power to the Pastor's teaching and ministry.

PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR'S - PERSONAL LIFE

• Ask God to provide for the Pastor's family - not just their needs, but blessings, rest, intimacy and fun, as well.
• Ask God to provide restful and restorative places and experiences where the Pastor can go to relax, disengage from "work", and heal.
• Pray for your pastor's marriage.  Pray for protection, joy, and romance.  Pray that he will cherish his bride. Pray that the work of ministry will not diminish their personal lives.
• Pray for the Pastor's family, for health, for fun times together, and for a peaceful home.
• Ask God to give the Pastor real friends - friends with whom he can trust, be himself, relax around, and not have to be the "Pastor" when around them.
• Pray for your Pastor's Emotional Health.

ASK GOD WHAT YOUR PASTOR NEEDS. 
    

For over ten years, there on my desk next to my computer, has been a large key ring, one that didn't hold actual keys. Rather it has 30 or so small cards attached to it, each containing a Bible verse, and on the back, a corresponding prayer for my pastor. It has been a constant reminder and tool for praying for my pastor; if not using the specific card prayers, just seeing it was a constant reminder to keep praying for him. 

They are called "KEYS TO THE KINGDOM."

BUY THEM HERE. Or, buy a bunch and give them away! (*they also have ones for wives, husbands, etc..)

Prayer is powerful and effective, and can make all the difference in the strength and longevity of the Pastors who lead us.  Praying for our Pastor turns our heart towards him / her, investing in them with a desire for their "success."

Next: Part III will cover HOW to BLESS your Pastor.  

As I said in the previous blog, don't walk up to your pastor, stop him inconsiderately, lay hands on him and start praying out loud for him. He may have to poop.  

FINALLY!  DO NOT GO UP TO YOUR PASTOR SAYING "I READ THIS BLOG ABOUT PRAYING FOR MY PASTOR AND NOW I'M GOING TO PRAY FOR YOU!"  That's less encouragement than it can be bragging.  JUST PRAY!  THAT'S ENOUGH.  HE'LL KNOW!