Congregants often forget the intensity of a pastors work, that it’s not a cushy job, but a spiritual discipline and battle. Here are a few things to consider when thinking about your pastor and how you can pray for him.
1.He labors in the Word for the spiritual well-being of others. His task is both physically and spiritually demanding.
- Pray for his strength. The strength he needs is from above. The encouragement he needs is from those around him who are willing to hold up his arms when they become weary.
2. The enemy contends for his attention every minute. Among countless ploys from the enemy to distract him, he fights to give his time fully to the work of the gospel. He knows that his words and his deeds must come from God if they are going to bear fruit in the Church.
- Pray for his mind to be clearly focused on Christ. Pray that the enemies attempts to distract him would be crushed.
3. Preaching the Word is a spiritual obedience. The congregation is a needy people and often has itching ears that are want of scratching. But he must speak only for the pleasure of the Lord and the honor of the Word, not for the praises of man.
- Pray for his boldness to speak the truth of God without shame or compromise. Pray that his only fear would be the fear of the Lord.
4. Delivering the Word of God is a spiritual battle of the highest degree. The sheep need nourishment and to be built up in the Word but the enemy seeks to squander that nourishment and destroy the sheep. After the sermon his work is not done, but in many ways has just begun.
- The very moment he leaves the pulpit pray for the Holy Spirit of comfort to wash over him. Pray for a work of affirmation in his heart and that God would ready him for the days ahead. Pray for a steady shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the Devil.
5. Your pastor has a family at home. You see how his work affects the Church but it’s easy to forget that it affects his loved ones too, and often more so. Every hour spent in the Word, pouring through books and commentaries, laboring in prayer and writing sermons is all time spent away from his children and precious wife. It’s a sacrifice, but one worthy of his call.
- Pray for his wife and children often, that God’s joy would be among them. Pray for his marriage, that it would reflect the love of Christ. Pray that his home would be filled with the peace and unity of the Spirit. Pray for endurance through times of loneliness and discouragement, moments that come more often than you might think. Pray that the grace of Christ would abound more and more, and that through your pastor and his family God would continue to minister to both the people of God and the lost in this world.
These are only a few of the many things to keep in mind regarding your pastor. Surely there are more. But the bottom line is to pray. Encourage him and his family whenever you can. It’s easy to think that your pastor exists to fill your needs and the needs of the Church. While that may be true in part, the Scriptures tell us all to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Joel Littlefield 
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