Pastoral ministry is a business unlike any other. It is a dangerous business. A sacred business. A business where the souls of people are at stake.
I was a pastor for many years, so I have a feel for the perils and pleasures of ministry. It’s very hard, supremely rewarding work.
Gardiner Spring said:
It is at a fearful expense that ministers are ever allowed to enter the pulpit without being preceded, accompanied, and followed by the earnest prayers of the churches. It is no marvel that the pulpit is so powerless, and ministers so often disheartened when there are so few to hold up their hands…When the churches cease to pray for ministers, ministers will no longer be a blessing to the churches.
In light of the challenges of ministry, here are 8 prayers every church member should pray for their pastor(s) on a regular basis.
Table of contents
#1 – For Protection From Satan
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
If Satan can take down a shepherd of God’s people, the odds are much higher that God’s people will scatter. That they’ll become bitter and disenfranchised. They will question everything they’ve ever been taught by that pastor. Satan targets pastors because the damage is exponential if they fall. Pray for your pastor that he would be kept safe from Satan.
Father, please protect my pastor from the attacks of Satan. Give him the strength to endure temptation and stand firm against the accusations Satan loves to whisper in his ear. Help him stand firm in your service, always fighting for the faith and for his people.
#2 – For Protection Against His Own Sinful Heart
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)
Pastors don’t fall because one day, out of the blue, they decide to dive headlong into sin. The slide into sin happens slowly, over time, in small increments, as the pastor believes the lies presented to him by his flesh. Pray for your pastor that he would be on guard against the lies of sin. Pray that he would have a proper fear of God.
Father, please protect my pastor from the deceitfulness of sin that we all are so prone to. Guard him from sin. Keep his conscience tender and fresh. Keep him close to you and close to your word.
Helpful Resource:
#3 – For Deep Spiritual Encouragement
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:11-12)
Pastoral ministry can be brutal, discouraging work. Pastors find themselves in the midst of terrible situations on a regular basis – divorce, death, apostasy, and much more. It’s also challenging because they don’t see progress in the sense that other jobs do. Christians are always in progress. Because of this, discouragement and depression can be a regular companion of the minister. Pray for your pastor to be encouraged.
Father, please encourage my pastor by the power of your Spirit. Let his soul be refreshed with the love of Christ. Let him have faith for the future. Help him to keep pressing forward even when the way is littered with landmines. Let him be refreshed by the fact that your grace is sufficient for him.
#4 – For Wisdom
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5)
Many elements of pastoral ministry are not black and white. A husband and wife are in serious conflict, and the husband has one story while the wife has another. A church member needs financial support but has a history of mismanaged finances. A young man struggles with same-sex attraction while still wanting to follow Jesus. Pastors need God’s wisdom to navigate these gray areas.
Father, please give my pastor your wisdom. Help him know the way to go even when the way is not clear. Give him discernment to know good from evil, even when evil is dressed as good. Help him apply your word to even the most confusing situations.
Helpful Resource:
#5 – For Doctrinal Faithfulness
By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you (2 Timothy 1:14).
Pastors can be tempted to modify or even abandon biblical doctrines for a variety of reasons. Cultural pressures, vocal church members, even legal actions can press hard upon pastors, making them feel that the only way out is to give up the clear teaching of Scripture. They need God’s grace to stay faithful to the good deposit of God’s word.
Father, I pray for my pastor that you would help him hold fast to Scripture, even when everyone else tells him to let go. Help him stand on your word and only your word. Protect him from the temptation to abandon the precious truths laid out in Scripture.
#6 – For A Healthy Body
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27).
Ministry can take a tremendous toll on a pastor’s body. Yes, our bodies are temples, but they are often broken temples. Long nights at the hospital, high-stress situations, and ever-present discouragement can quickly lead to burnout and body betrayal. Not only do pastor’s need spiritual strength, they need physical strength as well. Pray for your pastor that he would be sustained in body and mind.
Father, please give my pastoral supernatural strength. Protect him from sickness and disease. Give him your energy to keep serving faithfully. Help him to find periods of rest and recovery. Guide him to still waters.
#7 – For A Strong Marriage and Family
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church (1 Timothy 3:2-6)
Church history is littered with the skeletons of pastors whose marriages and families fell apart under the strain of pastoral ministry. And as 1 Timothy states, if a pastor can’t manage his family, how can he manage the church of God? Satan loves to sabotage a pastor’s family, and your pastor needs prayer that God will give him a healthy marriage and family.
Father, please give my pastor a supernaturally healthy marriage. Strengthen the bonds between him and his wife. Encourage them both in ministry. Give both of them wisdom to manage their family and to keep you at the center, not ministry. I also pray for their children that you would let them know you and follow you.
#8 – For Meaningful Friendships
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
Pastoral ministry can be surprisingly lonely. Something about being in a position of leadership isolates the man. People look to him to be a teacher and leader, not be their close friend. Pastors need close friends who will encourage them, hold them accountable, and push them toward Christ.
Father, please give my pastor true, deep, sustaining friendships. Give him friends who stick closer than brothers. Who uphold him when he’s weary. Who help carry his burdens.
Helpful Resource:
Sustained By Prayer
In some ways, pastors are sustained by the prayers of their people. Obviously, God is the one who ultimately sustains pastors, but one of his primary means is through the prayers of pastors.
When it comes to why you should pray for your pastor, take the words of Charles Spurgeon to heart:
No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me.
Do your pastor a true kindness today. Pray for your pastor.
Read next:
- 6 Signs Of A Bad Pastor and Spiritual Abuse
- 9 Bible Verses To Shine Light Into The Darkness of Depression
- Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged…By Yourself (And Crushed)
- What Does It Mean To Fear God? Probably Not What You Think
- Joy Comes In The Morning, But Not Tomorrow
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Home >> Scripture Prayers >> Praying For Pastors
Praying For Your Pastor is very important. They are serving God and the attacks of the enemy are non ceasing. They must be covered in prayer on a daily basis.
This prayer can be personalized by saying his name instead of the word pastor. If you have a reverend or father as they do in the Catholic church, then you can use those words instead of pastor. Or you can prayer for all pastors.
Praying For Pastors
Ps 31:23……….Father, I thank You that our pastors are faithful,
Ps 31:23……….and that You preserve them.
Prov 28:20……..That they abound with blessings,
Gal 6:9………….and do not grow weary in well doing.
Phil 1:6………….That You who began a good work in them will perfect it.
Eph 2:10………..They are Your workmanship created in Christ Jesus,
Heb 13:21………and equipped in every good thing to do Your will.
Heb 13:21……….Work in them that which is well-pleasing in Your sight.
2Cor 9:8…………Let all grace abound toward them, having sufficiency in all things,
2Cor 9:8………..and an abundance for every good work.
2Cor 9:6………..Because they have sowed bountifully, they will reap bountifully,
1Cor 3:6………..and whether they plant or water, Father, You give the increase.
2Cor 2:14……….I pray that they continually triumph in Christ,
2Cor 2:14……….diffusing the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
Deut 28:2……….That all blessings come upon them and overtake them,
Deut 28:2……….because they obey the voice of their God.
Ps 32:8………….Instruct them and teach them in the way they should go;
1Cor 2:10……….reveal the deeper things of God to them by Your Spirit.
2Tim 2:21……….Let them be vessels of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master,
2Tim 2:21……….prepared for every good work.
1Pet 5:2………..Shepherding the flock willingly, eagerly, and being an example to them.
1Cor 2:4………..Their speech and preaching is in demonstration of the Spirit and power.
2Tim 4:2………..And they are instant in season and out of season to preach the Word.
Josh 1:3…………Every place the soles of their feet tread upon has been given to them.
Deut 31:6……….They are strong and of good courage for You, Lord, go with them.
Ps 27:14………..They wait on You, and You strengthen them in their heart.
Titus 1:5…………Help them set in order things that are lacking,
Titus 1:5…………and appoint elders in every city.
2Cor 10:4………..I tear down the strongholds over the pulpit.
Ex 17:11…………I lift up our pastors and cover them
Heb 12:24……….with the blood of Jesus.
Deut 28………….Sickness and disease shall in no way come near them,
Gal 3:13…………for they are redeemed from the curse of the law.
Isa 54:17………..I say that no weapon formed against them will prosper,
Isa 54:17………..and every tongue rising against them shall be shown to be in the wrong.
Cor 12:11……….Father, let the gifts and anointings on their lives come forth.
Luke 1:45……….Birth the things that You have spoken to them in their hearts,
Acts 6:4…………as they continually give themselves to prayer
Acts 6:4…………and the ministry of the Word.
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Dear Lord,
I ask you kindly please help my Pastor today, She is in need of immediate financial help. Please give her and her group to find a place to stay for this winter because she just lost her apartment due to no income coming in. Please touch more people to help her and her family as well. Please Lord give her strenght to continue to preach your word through out the indian reservations.
Fulfill her dreams and her heart desires for she labors for you day and night. Please bless her with a stable home to teach her group and to care for her family. Thank you Lord for everything you have already done for her. Amen
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