How to Pray for your Pastor

Do you know that according to pastoralcareinc.com, 84% of the pastors believe they are on call 24/7?

80% of pastors and 84% of their spouses have felt unqualified and discouraged as their role as pastors at least once or more times.

Only 1 out of 10 pastors will retire as a pastor. What about the other 9?

These and many others are the reasons you need to pray for your pastors.

In this post, you will learn why and how to pray for your pastors.

What is a Pastor?

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

1 Peter 5:2-3

Pastors are the people that God has chosen to protect, guide, teach, and nurture God’s children with the word of the Lord. They are the people who intercede on our behalf and are there for you when you need them.

The word pastor comes from the Latin word shepherd.

So, the pastor is the shepherd, and the children of God are the sheep.

Responsibilities of a shepherd?

• keeping the sheep healthy
• overall safety and welfare of the flock.
• Shearing the flock. Have their fleece cut off.
• Protect the sheep from predators.
• Feed the sheep
• guide the sheep

As you can see, many are the responsibilities of a pastor, and one day he will have to give an account to God about how he performed as a shepherd of God’s sheep.

Pastors have huge responsibilities, and they need all the help they can get. The most important way you can help your pastor is by praying for him. This little guide will help you learn how to pray for your pastor.

How to pray for your pastor guide

Wisdom

When the Lord came to Solomon and asked him, “What do you want ME to do for you?”

Solomon was a young king, and he had many people who were under him, both old and young. He knew there was no way he could lead the people without wisdom, so instead of riches, he requested wisdom.

Solomon, just like your pastor, had people to lead, and if we are truly honest, people are difficult to deal with.

Your pastor will need divine direction from God to serve your church, to know how to handle problems, to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Wisdom is a must.

So, ask The Lord to give your pastor wisdom in every area of His life.

Courage & strength

Times have changed so much.

Back in the day, pastors were able to preach the word of God without any hesitation or any fears. But not now.

We live in a society that gets offended easily, a society that only wants to hear things that they agree on. We live in a society that gets mad when the truth of the Word of God is preached, a society that picks and chooses which parts of the bible apply to them and which ones don’t.

Now more than ever, we need our pastors to have the courage and the strength to preach the uncompromised word of God . They need the courage and the strength to do and to say what God has called them to say without being scared of the consequences.

The condition of the world is very sad today, adults, young people, and even kids completely confused and lost, only the truth of the word of God can change their situation. So, we need pastors who are not scared to call sin a sin, to preach repentance, to preach hell and salvation.

Protection

Believe it or not, persecution happens all over the world and as we come closer to the end of times, we will see more of it.

It is important that you pray for your pastor’s protection in all the areas of his life.

Pray for your pastors’ protection and their family. Pray that they will always be in the right place, at the right time and with the right people and never in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people.

Pray that your pastor will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit to listen when He is trying to warn him of danger.

Pray for you pastor’s ministry

As we talked about earlier, the assignment that God has given to your pastor is not an easy one.

Their ministry is like a puzzle, it is made of many different parts, people, things, etc.

Their job is super important because they are teaching the word of God. God is using them to reach the hearts of man and teaching them His ways.

The devil hates pastors, and he comes against them and their ministry all the time.

Pray for your pastor’s ministry.

Pray that pride will never take root in their heart. Pray that their heart stays humble and righteous, recognizing always that God is the one that deserves all the honor and the glory and the praise.

Pray that your pastor will be a good administrator of his ministry, that God will give him revelation and inside information on things he needs to know. That God will give him wisdom to always make the right decisions.

Pray that their ministry will grow and reach as many people as possible. That the people will have open eyes, open minds, and open ears to receive the revelation given to them through your pastor.

Bless their ministry also by helping them and by being there for them when they need you.

Joy

Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength

Nehemiah 8:10

Do you know that according to soulshepherding.com 70% of pastors fight depression?

50% say they will leave the ministry if they could. Those percentages speak loud about what our pastors have to go through. It is not easy to deal with people, but they do it first because they love The Lord, they love their calling and they love their people.

But the devil is seeking who he can devour, so we need to pray for joy for our pastors. May they find their strength in the joy of The Lord, that The Lord will fill their hearts with happiness and that He may remove any afflictions that could try to bring your pastor down.

Pray that God will give you wisdom, so you can bring joy to your pastors, instead of being a problem, be a person that helps lighten the load.

Pray for your Pastor’s health

It is the will of God for us to be healthy. How do I know? Because I am a mom, and I would never like to see my boys suffering from sickness and disease. God’s love for us is bigger than we can imagine.

We need our Pastors healthy and strong. They have a big job to do and their health cannot get in the way of them doing what God has called them to do. But Pastors sometimes put others first and their health last. You really don’t know what your pastor or his family are going through, so it is important that you always pray for their health.

So pray for your Pastor’s health, speak life and health over him in Jesus’ Name all the time. Pray that no weapon formed against your pastor and his family will prosper but that they will live in supernatural health all the days of their lives.

To be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit

This is one of the most important things that you can pray for your pastor.

The Holy Spirit is our helper, He is our guide; He is our comforter. Nothing is more important than listening to His leading and doing what He says.

Your Pastor has to make lots of decisions every day. He has to deal with people every day; he is a huge target for the devil, so he needs to hear from God all the time.

Pray that God will give your pastor sensitive ears for him to hear His voice and to do what He says.

Pray for your pastor’s family

My first mission field is my family.

John H. Osteen

The family is the foundation of our society, so when we have weak and destroyed families, we will have weak and destroyed societies and that is the devils’ goal. That is the reason he comes after families, to destroy them, and your pastor’s family is not an exception.

According to census.gov, 70% of children live with only with 1 parent.

In the United States, 50% of marriages ended up in divorce. It doesn’t matter if they are christian marriages or not.

I once knew a pastor that had an amazing ministry. He had a big church and God used him greatly to preach The Word of God, he was very anointed. He spent lots of time at church, visiting people and preaching in other places too. His life was so involved in the work of the ministry that he forgot that his family was his first mission field.

A few years down the road, he and his wife got a divorce, his kids backslid and ended up on drugs and his church completely collapsed and closed down.

It is very important to pray for your pastor’s family, pray that The Lord will give your pastor wisdom to deal with the church but to always put his family first after The Lord.

Pray that all their needs will be met not only physically but emotionally as well. Pray that they will have time to enjoy themselves and that no weapon that tries to come against your pastor’s family will succeed.

Pray against discouragement

Sometimes things don’t go as you expected. Sometimes people let you down and don’t act as you expect them to.

Pastors go through this too and in a bigger manner because they deal with many people and a lot of different situations, not only at home but at church and at work too.

Pray that your pastor will keep his eyes on Jesus, that whatever comes his way He can find the comfort, the peace, the joy, and the answer in the arms of Jesus. Pray that his heart will remain full of joy and that discouragement will never take root in his heart nor his mind.

Godly counsel

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17

During the battle against the Amalekites, as long as Moises kept his hands raised, the Israelites would win, but when Moises would put his hands down, the Israelites lose. So when Moises’ hands were tired, Aaron and Hur were there to raise his hands for him, this is how the Israelites were able to win the battle against the Amalekites.

Many times we find ourselves in the need of someone with who we can share our thoughts and concerns, someone who would pray for us and stand in the gap for us. Your Pastor needs his own Aaron and Hur, someone who will raise his hands and give godly counsel when he needs it.

It is very important for your pastor to surround himself with people that are a blessing to him and that will give him godly counsel.

Pray for God to bring the right people to surround your pastor.

How to pray for your Pastor

Your pastor is a very important person in your life. He is your earthly spiritual father. He prays for you, he worries about you, and one day he will have to give an account for your life as a sheep and him as a shepherd.

Don’t forget to always pray for your pastor and his family, always speak life about him, his ministry, and his family. Do all you can to help him spread the gospel. Together we are the body of Christ. Be like Aaron and Hur and be there for him when he needs you, I know that what your pastor needs the most from you are your faithful prayers.

Don’t forget to share this blog!