What would you say if I told you that you could make a HUGE difference in the kingdom of God and in your church this year, and all it would take would be just one minute a day? And best of all, you don’t need to fly off to Africa to do it- you can do it from your home, from your work, from your car, from your table! You want to make a difference? Commit to PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR! Ministry can be brutal and overwhelming at times- but we can help protect our pastor when we pray. God can and will do amazing things in response to prayer! So where would you even begin? Here are 7 simple prayer topics to pray for your pastor. Cover them one a day! Or come up with your own.
1. PRAY FOR HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD: He’s the pastor, so he should be besties with God, right? This might surprise you, but your pastor has to work on his relationship with God too! Pray that he will prioritize time with God- in the Scriptures, in prayer and in worship daily. Pray that he will know God intimately, that he would be able to hear from God and that God would direct his steps! We want a pastor who is on his knees before God!
2. PRAY FOR HIS MARRIAGE AND FAMILY: Scripture tells us that Satan has come to kill, steal and destroy. And one of the areas that he sometimes hits us the hardest is in our families. Pray that God would bless and protect your pastor’s marriage and his family. Pray that he would be a godly husband and father, that he would prioritize his wife and kids and that they would find great joy in their family. Pray specifically for his wife and children that they would know the Lord and that God would protect them as well. Pray that God would unite them in a spirit of love, unity, understanding and friendship.
3. PRAY FOR HIS INTEGRITY: That God would grow him into a man of integrity and honor. Pray that he would have a humble heart and would walk in humility. That God would protect him from temptation and keep his thoughts pure. Ask that God would help him to walk with God’s spirit of truth at all times and that he would bring other godly Christian leaders into his life to keep him accountable.
4. PRAY FOR POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Pray that God would bless his key relationships, with family, staff, congregation, community and others. Pray that God would give him good, godly male friends that he can openly share his heart with and who will encourage and be able to speak truth into his life. Pray for discernment and protection for him in all relationships.
5. PRAY FOR ANNOINTING: God says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by the Holy Spirit”. Pray that your pastor would daily seek God for a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. That as he speaks, it would be less of him and more of God. That he would be overflowing with the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. And that he would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and function in all areas of his life according to God’s agenda and not his own.
6. PRAY FOR PROTECTION FROM SPIRITUAL WARFARE: Would you believe it if I told you that your pastor has a huge bullseye right on his chest? Pastors are one of Satan’s key targets. Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us how to put on the full armor of God so that in the day of trouble we can stand. Please pray for spiritual protection for your pastor and that God would show him how to put on the full armor. Pray too that God would protect him from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. 1 John 2:16
7. THANK GOD FOR HIS IMPACT: When we finally get to heaven, everyone wants to hear “Well done good and faithful servant”. Pray that your pastor would arrive to a standing ovation! Thank God today for your pastor and pray that he can persevere in the ministry he was given! Thank Him that your pastor is tuned in to God’s leading and pray that he wouldn’t miss even one opportunity that God is giving. Thank God for the way he is using your pastor to minister to those around him and pray that He will give him a huge heart for your congregation, your community and the world. Thank God for the fruit of his ministry and pray for immeasurably more! Pray today that God will bless him and protect him in every way; physically, financially, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.
Thanks God for such a great pastor! In Jesus’ most precious name…. amen.
Here are a few things you can pray for your pastor:
FOR THEIR OWN WALK WITH THE LORD AND THEIR OWN HOLINESS
FOR GOD’S BLESSING IN THEIR LIVES- AS A LEADER, AS A SPOUSE, AS A PARENT, AS A FRIEND
FOR VISION AND DIRECTION
FOR PHYSICAL PROTECTION
FOR GOOD HEALTH AND FOR THEIR NEEDS TO BE MET- PHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL, FINANCIAL
FOR THEIR MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES
FOR WISDOM AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Here are a few things you can pray for your church:
FOR UNITY IN THE BODY
FOR THE WORD OF GOD TO BE PREACHED
FOR PROTECTION OVER MARRIAGES, OVER FAMILIES
FOR GOD’S GUIDANCE AND WISDOM
FOR BLESSING
FOR THE CHURCH TO REACH THE COMMUNITY
FOR A PRAYERFUL CONGREGATION
FOR THE LEADERSHIP AND THE PASTORS
FOR THE YOUTH AND THE NEXT GENERATION
FOR THE DIFFERENT MINISTRIES
RESOURCES
Partners in Prayer by John Maxwell
Churches that Pray by C. Peter Wagner
Prayer Shield: How to Intercede for Pastors, Christian Leaders, and Others on the Spiritual Frontlines by C. Peter Wagner
SCRIPTURE BASED PRAYERS TO PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR- PRAYER CARDS
