As a pastor, one of the greatest encouragements is to hear the words “I’m praying for you.” Truly, one of the great blessings of being a pastor is knowing that prayers are being lifted up on your behalf. Often, people ask how they can be praying for me. While there are particular needs that I have from time to time, here are some prayers for pastors that are always in season:
Pray that we stay vitally connected to the Lord in our personal devotion. Like everyone else, the tendency is for people is to drift. Pray that we would maintain a constant fellowship with the Lord, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment.
Pray for our growth. Pray that we will continue to grow spiritually, to grow in wisdom and maturity, to grow in knowledge of the things of God, and most of all to grow in Christ-likeness. Pray that we will never be satisfied with our current state, but will continue to “press on toward the goal.”
Pray that we live and minister in total dependence on the Lord. It would be very easy to attempt to do the work to which God has called us in our own strength. Pray that we would rely on God to work through us as we are obedient to his call. Pray that we would minister in the strength God provides and not attempt to do things on our own.
Pray for godly wisdom as we lead. Pastors need the Lord’s wisdom as they lead in setting the direction of the church, prepare messages and teachings from God’s word, deal with conflict, minister to people in need, lead the church in evangelistic outreach, and serve as administrators of the church. Pastors need the wisdom that only God can provide. Pray that God would give us that wisdom.
Pray that we would be shielded from spiritual attack. Pastors are on the front lines of spiritual warfare. The devil has his eye on pastors to lead them into sin and disobedience to God, keep them discouraged and defeated, and keep them occupied with distractions. Pastors are often under spiritual attack. Pray that the Lord would protect us from the evil one.
Pray for their marriage and families. Ministry can be stressful not only to pastors, but also to their wives and families. Pray that your pastor will make his wife and children a priority as his first ministry. Pray that God will strengthen your pastor’s marriage relationship and protect his family.
There are many ways you can pray for pastors. These are just a few. If you are not a pastor, please know that your prayers for us are important and are used of God on our behalf. Please know also how much we appreciate knowing that you are praying for us. Thank you for continuing to lift up us and our families in prayer.
