This might be a rather self-serving post, but I hope it will be an encouragement to you as well. Pastors need prayer. I know this by personal experience. You probably do too whether you are the pastor or the one who sits under the pastor's ministry. The apostle Paul asked for prayer. For example in Ephesians 6:18-20 he says, "To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel." Paul needed prayer and so do I. The obvious benefit of praying for the pastor is the help that is afforded him in the work of the ministry. But does praying for your pastor help you too? I believe it does. I ran across this quote from Philip Ryken.
Most churchgoers assume that the sermon starts when the pastor opens his mouth on Sunday. However, listening to a sermon actually starts the week before. It starts when we pray for the minister, asking God to bless the time he spends studying the Bible as he prepares to preach. In addition to helping the preacher, our prayers help create in us a sense of expectancy for the ministry of God's Word. This is one of the reasons that when it comes to preaching, congregations generally get what they pray for. So please pray for your pastor. This one certainly needs it. But you may find as you pray for him that you profit more from his ministry. It is easy to criticize the preaching (and we need this too!). It is harder to pray for the preacher. But multiple blessings await us as we pray for the things God calls us to pray for! May we often be found at the throne of grace where mercy and grace are dispensed to us in our time of need.
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When I quote Scripture In this blog, unless otherwise indicated, the quotations are usually from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission.
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