Pray For Your Pastor

When you pray, whether you wake up and say them first thing, or mumble them before you head off to sleepy town, what or who do you pray for most often? Is it your children? Your spouse? Your friends? Success in your career? World peace? While these are all valid people and things to pray about, I’m willing to bet money you’re missing someone on that list.

“Who or what could it possibly be,” you ask? Why, I’m talking about your pastor.

Yes, your pastor.

You know, the guy (or gal) who stands dutifully at the pulpit every single Sunday, rain or shine (well, for me here in sunny SoCal it’s mostly shine), snow or sleet? I can’t speak for every pastor, but mine, Pastor Matthew Harbison, is always praying for literally everyone in my congregation. In fact, our church is so tight-knit that he actually spends about 10 to 15 minutes taking prayer requests at the beginning of the service (we are small but mighty, so I understand why this might not be as possible for other churches).

Week after week, I hear him pray for sick relatives, job interviews (thanks Matt!), and God’s provision for everyone…but himself. Now, I can understand why he might not want to do this in front of a crowd. I know I feel a little weird when other people are listening to me pray for something I need. But a few weeks ago as he was taking requests, I raised my hand.

“I have three,” I said.

I’m sure he was sweating bullets thinking he was going to need to remember some random names of people he probably didn’t know. Well, I sure tricked him.

“You, your family, and this church.”

Inside I’m sure he breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t that complicated. It may have been complicated in other ways, but he thankfully took my request.

I tell you this story because I think a lot of the time, we go to church thinking, “What am I going to get out of this?” Nikki wrote a pair of great blogs that look at this topic, too. But my focus today takes that famous line from JFK and twists it just a bit: Ask not what your pastor can do for you - ask what you can do for your pastor.

Any good pastor is busy. I’m not talking a few lines on a to-do list busy, either. I’m talking he’s so busy bringing food to the hungry that he forgets to eat lunch. She’s so wrapped up in planning Vacation Bible School for the children of the community that she can’t make it to her son’s soccer game this weekend. Pastors sacrifice SO much of themselves (often for very little pay) that the absolute least we could do for them is remember to put in a good word with the Lord for them.

Even if your pastor doesn’t pray for you in front of your congregation, this verse might sound very familiar to you: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

Depending on your sect of Christianity, your pastor has likely said this at the end of sermons. Even if they don’t, I think this is a perfect prayer to pray over them. Above all, I think pastors need peace. They deal with much heartache – the poor, the hungry, the sick, the dying or dead. It’s not easy when it’s your job to be Christ’s hands, mouth, and heart here on Earth.

Not only that, pastors bear the incredible responsibility of guiding people through God’s words. Their jobs as teachers of scripture come with a warning in James 3:1 – “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” That’s a CRAZY amount of pressure to be under.

1 Peter 5:1-4 states, “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 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. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

Your pastor took on a heavy profession. Be respectful of that and always remember they may be eager to serve, but that doesn’t mean you should take advantage of that.

Friends, please take a second today to pray for your pastor. If you feel like it, go a step further. Text, call, or email them just to say thank you for everything they do. They are asked to be “…hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. [They] must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that [they] can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” (Titus 1:8-9). Let’s be honest – there aren’t many people like this left in the world, so appreciate the one you have.