WHAT TO PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR
With plenty opposition and enmity within and without, pastors constantly need the congregation’s prayers. The saints need to pray for the pastor as much as they need his prayers. He also is one of Christ’s sheep and is vulnerable to the similar weaknesses. In the book, 7 days of Prayer for your pastor, Floyd Larck, went in-depth in helping every Christian to pray for their pastor. While there are numerous things you could pray for pastors, here are 3 straightforward Scriptural categories:
- Praying for doors to be opened to them for the continuous spread of the gospel.
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul asked the congregation to pray “that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Jesus, for which I am also in chains” (Col. 4:3). The success of spreading the gospel is dependent in part on the fervent prayers of the children of God.
This way, the church shares in the gospel ministry with the man of GOD. Although he’s not the only one in the body called to spread the gospel, he has a unique calling to “do the work of an evangelist.” The believers help him in fulfilling Christ’s work by praying that the Lord would open doors “for the word, to speak the mystery of the Lord.”
- Praying that they would have boldness and power in preaching the gospel.
In addition to praying for doors to open for the ministry of the word, the saints should also pray that ministers have Spirit-wrought boldness. When he was writing to the church in Ephesus, apostle Paul asked the saints to pray for him “that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19).
There is a well-established story of many college students going to visit the Metropolitan Tabernacle in order to hear Charles Spurgeon preach the gospel. As the story goes, Spurgeon met them at the door and volunteered to show them around. At a point, he asked if they liked to see the church’s heater plant (boiler room). He took them downstairs where they saw people praying for the blessings of God on the service and on Spurgeon’s preaching. The gathering of the people praying for the ministry of the word is what he referred to as “the heating plant!” Believers can support ministers in praying that GOD should give them boldness and power in preaching and spreading the gospel.
- Praying that they would have the spirit of wisdom and understanding.
One of the most pressing desires for a pastor is that GOD would give him the necessary wisdom to counsel, to mediate, to know when to confront and to discern the specific pastoral needs of his congregation. This is a comprehensive and a recurring need. The minister is faced daily with exacting challenges for which he desperately needs the supernatural wisdom of JESUS. It is said of Jesus that “the Spirit of wisdom and knowledge, and of counsel and might was upon Him” (Is. 11:2).
The servants of Christ also need that same Spirit at work in Jesus. Much harm will be done to the church as a whole if the minister does not move with the wisdom corresponding to the challenges with which he faces. Those who are beneficiaries of this wisdom can help the pastor by praying down this divine blessing from heaven upon him.
To follow through on what and how to pray for your pastor, get Floyd Larck’s ‘seven days of prayer for your pastor’ and get busy with his outlined seven days practical prayer points for your pastor.