Prayers in Support of Leaders and Pastors
10 Powerful Prayers in Support of Leaders and Pastors
Many of us have seen the statistics about the stresses pastors deal with as part of their call to serve God and church. But what do we do about it? How do we tangibly help our pastors in their calling? How do we practically guard our church family from unnecessary heart breaks?
As a pastor’s wife, I’ve come to realize one of the most valuable blessings comes when I pray and when others pray for my husband and our church leadership.
People can offer hands and hearts until we are all worn out with serving. People can donate money for awesome causes. We can have and experience all kinds of amazing things together as a church; but without the covering and lifting power of prayer, those fruitful moments can get troubled and robbed all too quickly.
Here are ten areas in which you can pray over your pastors, leaders, and church in general, that will bless and protect your church leadership.
Each point is based on a Scripture passage, paraphrased into a prayer. You can place the leader’s name in the blank.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Rawpixel
1. Pray that leaders can remain steadfast.
Everyone, especially those in people helping professions, can feel like their labors are in vain. Your pastor is no different in his vulnerability to discouragement!
I remember a story about a fellows pastor’s family. The pastor, who was building his home, finished hanging some sliding closet doors. His wife came in to find him just gazing at the doors.
When she asked why he wasn’t moving on to the next thing, he replied, “Because I needed to soak in a moment of done. People’s needs at church are never done. Evangelism is never done. Nothing with my work is ever done. But these doors are done. And it feels really good!”
Your pastors and leaders need prayer support to help them stay the course because the work is never done and that can tempt you to feel like your labors are in vain.
Lord, please cause _______________ to be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in Your work. Help them to know that their toil is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/stevanovicigor
2. Pray that leaders can diligently stay the course.
As a pastor or leader, you can get called to serve but in serving, you can actually forget to feed the spiritual gift that was entrusted to you. Pastors get pulled in so many directions, that the importance of their calling can get lost in the shuffle of all the other demands.
I remember a seminary professor telling us about a dear friend and fellow pastor who resigned because he could no longer bear the constant bickering of his congregation. The bylaws of the church allowed a vote for every single line item in the budget. The lengthy meetings over whether they should have pink or white toilet paper (I guess that was a thing when he was serving) took their toll. The well was dry and he was out of there!
Pink toilet paper became a sort of code word for my husband and I to remember to not let the little things muddle the eternal.
Pray for your pastor to not be pulled off the course of his calling and for the Lord to provide opportunity for the leaders of your church to fan the flame entrusted to them.
May ________ not be distracted, discouraged or doubtful and thus neglect the spiritual gift You have given him/her. Give them the tenacity to take great pains to maintain the path You have cleared for them and to be absorbed in the work You have laid before them. (1 Timothy 4:14-15)
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Milkos
3. Pray for confidence.
Leaders often are thought of as confident, but the reality is that leaders get their confidence pulled through the wringer constantly. It might even be argued that some of the worst behavior you see from people is when their confidence is crumbling and they are grabbing hold of anything and everything to stay emotionally afloat.
Pray for your pastors and leaders to have solid confidence in Christ! Pray for that confidence to be purely set on God alone and for their Christ-confidence to be protected in their hearts.
Lord protect _____________’s sense of confidence in You. Grace _________ to not misplace any confidence in the flesh (their own accomplishments or the abilities of other people). Direct ________ to draw near to Your throne of grace with confidence for their every need. (Philippians 3:3 and Hebrews 4:16)
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/littlehenrabi
4. Pray words of encouragement.
So often I see encouragement fuel my family in Christ on in their journey of faith. A simple word from a brother or sister sparks another on to grow in sweet and beautiful ways.
I love watching that bloom in our spiritual family. Your pastors and leaders also need encouragement to bloom! Pray for encouragement over them to walk in the fullness of their calling.
Lord, I pray that You would send a spirit of encouragement to __________ so that they might walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which they have been called; lead them to walk with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for those around them in love, and that they would be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/MangoStar_Studio
5. Pray for widsom.
One of the warnings Paul gave Timothy was to avoid the battle of words that simply results in wounded hearts and churches. Not only might the leadership in your church need your prayer covering for this matter, but the church as a whole probably does as well.
Shepherding a congregation to a mature place of concern and awareness of how the enemy uses contentions to distract the family of Christ would be a blessing worth your prayer time! That one element of church life can make or break a congregation.
Lord, teach us how to avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, strife, and disputes about the Law; for they are unprofitable and worthless. Teach us how to reject a divisive person after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned. (Titus 3:9-11)
Comments
Post a Comment