Do you pray for your pastor?

Believe me, he needs it.

Have you recently read Ephesians 6? Every single one of us is involved in spiritual warfare. There is a visible world and an invisible one. We’re all struggling “against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12). Your pastor needs your prayer because he’s at the forefront of this battle. The question is, how can you pray for him?

After explaining the nature of the struggle we’re all in, here’s how Paul told the Ephesians they could pray for him:

Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should (Ephesians 6:18-20).

Paul was in prison, but he didn’t see that as a restriction on his ministry. It just changed the audience. He needed prayer more than ever! What did he ask for, and what can you ask for your preacher?

First, pray that he gets a message (“that the message may be given to me”). Every preacher has experienced how the Lord can burden your heart with a message, one that fits that specific congregation. Remember, a shepherd doesn’t care for theoretical sheep, but the ones he has, in whatever condition they are in, with their particular needs. Each case is different. A bloated sheep requires different treatment than a hungry one. And different congregations need different to hear different truths that fit their context. I have often prepared a sermon only to change it at the last minute when I felt a burden to speak a different word to the congregation. Humanly speaking, that can be a little annoying (all that wasted effort!), but spiritually speaking, those are the times when you really “feel” things “click.” Pray that your pastor is burdened with a message your community needs to hear.

Second, pray that he makes known the gospel (“when I open my mouth to make known…the mystery of the gospel”). I believe that churches are starved of the gospel. They will rarely hear a word of grace or be presented with what Christ has done for them. Instead, they will hear about what they must do for God. It is “do, do, do” instead of “done, done, and done.” American preachers often prefer moralism to the gospel. But it is precisely gospel truths that inspire us to live as disciples (see my ongoing series on “gospel motivations”). Pray that your pastor preaches the gospel for salvation and discipleship.

Third, pray that he speaks boldly (“bold enough to speak about it as I should”). In prison, Paul had every human reason to take it down a notch, lay low, and avoid provoking the Romans further. It would take boldness to keep preaching the message that helped to land him in chains in the first place. Likewise, your preacher needs boldness to be honest about what Scripture teaches. He will be tempted to keep those truths secret. For example, the church budget might depend upon the generous giving of three or four families. Losing just one of those families by teaching something they disagree with can endanger the church's finances. That can tempt him to avoid preaching on specific topics, themes, or truths for fear of offending the wealthy givers. It takes a bold soul to preach what Scripture says, no matter the financial cost. But that is the kind of preacher you want—the one who will tell you the truths you need to hear, whether or not you want to hear them.

Praying for your preacher is a vital part of spiritual warfare. Remember, he is not only fighting on your behalf but equipping you through preaching to join the fight. Bold prayers are fuel for a bold gospel.

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Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.

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