As I post this, my heart is heavy over the apparent moral failings of a high-profile pastor and seeming mishandling by the leadership of one the pioneer ministries or our day that continues to make headlines in the major newspapers.
This post will not address any of the issues or problems in particular. Instead, as I share with the Prayer Network, I will focus on the solution.of intercessory prayer. Please remember to pray for our spiritual leaders including our own pastors, missionaries, and even pastors, Christian writers, speakers that have impacted us. Pray for their growth and protection. Encourage others to pray also.
This is part 3 in a series on helps for personal prayer. In Part 1, we looked at a helpful pattern for prayer and at turning our Bible reading into prayers. In Part 2 the focus was on praying for our roles and relationships. In Part 3, we will focus on how to pray for missionaries and your pastor. A fuller version is available in the document designed for you to print out and put in your Bible, Prayer journal or even your purse or jacket pocket. Download the pdf Personal Prayer Helps.PDF or the Microsoft Word doc Personal Prayer Helps,DOC.
Pray for your pastor
(Photo: (c) Can Stock Photo Inc. 5thousand)
Brothers and sisters, pray for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:25
)
Sunday: Power in the pulpit
Pray that your pastor would be “filled with the Holy Spirit and continue to speak the word of God with boldness” Acts 4:31
Monday: Find their strength in the Lord
Pastors often feed, comfort, and encourage the flock. Please pray that they would learn to find strength in the Lord for their own soul as David did in 1 Samuel 30:6.
Tuesday: Leadership and Vision
Without vision the people perish (Proverbs 29:18) Pray that God would give your pastor a clear vision for the church and the leadership gifts and skills to be able to inspire others to catch and implement the vision.
Wednesday: Sound doctrine
Pray for your pastor’s beliefs and teaching.
He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Titus 1:9
Thursday: Discernment in time management
Pray for discernment for your pastor to know the important tasks that need to be done for each day and those that do not need to be done at all. Pray that God would protect and empower your pastor’s work time.
Friday: Close personal relationship with God
Pray for your pastor’s own relationship with God to be vibrant and growing. Pray for your pastor’s own struggle with sin and other distractions that would try to steal focus and passion for God.
Saturday: The Pastor’s Family
Pray for your pastor to be able to devote quality time to nurture family relationships and to be the spouse and parent that God desires. Pray that God would protect your pastor’s family time and that He would add His blessings to time spent.
Pray for missionaries
- Pray for open doors. (Colossians 4:2,3)
- Pray for boldness in witnessing. (Ephesians 6:19)
- Pray that the Word of God will spread without hindrance. (2 Thess 3:1)
- Pray for protection. 2 Thessalonians 3:2 .
- Pray that their ministry will be accepted by believers. (Romans 15:31)
- Pray for God’s guidance and assistance in travel. (Romans 15:32)
- Pray for refreshment. (Romans 15:32)
Excerpted from http://www.wycliffe.org/pray/7ways.htm
Kevin Cunningham
Pastor, Author, Videographer
Currently serving as a bi-vocational, Intentional Interim Pastor in Gloucester, MA.
Photo Credit: (c) Can Stock Photo / 5thousand - https://www.canstockphoto.com/praying-hands-bible-5158104.html
Comments
Thank you, Malva Birch, for sharing those wonderful verses from Ephesians. Interestingly, I am preaching through Ephesians and the Sunday after I posted this article the passage was 4:1-3.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)
Amazing timing.
Thank you again
Kevin
Eph 3:14-21 ESV
14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.