This is another recent challenge sent to me by Pastor Dick Hester—my friend. It was too great not to share. It’s a reminder of why and how we should all pray for our pastors. I hope these things will become a part of your regular prayers for your pastor. He challenges us in praying for our pastors in the following ways:
“Allow me to give some suggestions of things I pray for Pastors and Leaders:
- I pray that they would love Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and that their ministry would never steal from them their first love, Jesus Christ.
- I pray that they would love and serve their wife and family with glad hearts and that their family would have love for the ministry instead of resenting it for “stealing” their husband and daddy away.
- I pray for a passion; for conviction and dedication to their calling and to Jesus Christ.
- I pray that they will walk in confidence while kneeling in humility as gentle shepherds who care for their sheep.
- I pray for encouragement in their faith and ministry, and against those who attack, slander, harm, or speak evil against them.
- I pray that their teaching and preaching will be accurate, true, bold, convicting, encouraging, anointed, and Christ-centered.
- I pray that God will guard them from burnout and depression.
- I pray that they will never fall prey to envy, jealousy, insecurity, or comparison.
- I pray for their holiness and purity, and against lust, affairs, love of money, and pride.
- I pray for rest spiritually and physically, and that they know that it is not their ministry they are leading, but God’s.
- I pray that they will finish better than they started.
- I pray that they will take time to have fun, do things they enjoy, spend time with their wives and play with the kids, and get away often to find peace and solitude.
- I pray for God to raise up people around them to assist them, serve them, honor them, encourage them, pray for them, admonish them, and protect them.
- I pray that ministry, teaching, preaching, and leading will never become a chore for them, but that it would always be a joy and blessing to serve the Lord and His people with kindness and gladness, and that they would enjoy every aspect of leading, whether easy or hard, for the glory of God.
I pray these things for pastors or leaders. I hope all of us will pray them for one another.”
(Written by Pastor Dick Hester)