October is Pastor Appreciation Month. The greatest thing we can do for our Pastors is pray for them. I’d like to focus today on how we can pray for our Pastors and their families. 

Resist Temptation – This is a big one. We tend to forget that we are all sinners….including our Pastors. If anything, the Devil goes harder after Pastors. Satan wants those who are proclaiming Christ to fall and fall hard. Pastors need a hedge of protection from the Devil. Satan is not dumb. He knows our weaknesses and how to even make them look kind of innocent. So pray for our Pastors to resist temptation. 

To be Replenished- It is so easy for Pastors to get burnt out. They spend so much time ministering to others that they tend to get overlooked. Ministry is like a sponge. The more you are squeezed you will become dry if you are not keeping water on the sponge. Let’s not forget to minister to our Pastors and their families.

Following God’s will not ours- This is another big one. God called Pastors to lead His Church His way. We tend to think it is our church and Pastors should cater to our needs. That is very far from the truth. Unless our Pastors are doing something spiritually or morally wrong, we need to stay out of it. We need to trust our Pastors are leading the way God is calling them to lead. When we try to interfere we are basically saying we are better than God. You don’t like your Pastor, pray for him. You’re not sure about something, pray about it. You have an issue, talk to your Pastor privately about it. Our Pastors are not called to preach from our Bible translation preference or sing the style of music that caters to our preference. We need to pray our Pastors are following God’s lead and His only.

Strengthened Marriages- Again, Satan wants to destroy those who proclaim Christ. What better way than destroying our Pastors’ marriages. Some women were meant to be Preacher’s wives. Other’s not so much. It’s not easy always being in the spotlight and as the Preacher’s wife you are always in the spotlight. Pray for strong marriages. Marriages that can withstand the pressures of the church; of the world. 

Their Children- Did I mention that Satan wants to destroy those who proclaim Christ? Satan wants to destroy the family. Preachers are called to fulltime ministry but his children did not make that decision. Pray our Pastors will keep God first, his marriage, his children and then the church. I am very grateful to have a Dad who kept his family before the church. That is not always the case. PK’s can get a bad rap. They are often held to a higher standard just because of who their Dad is. They live in a glass house. Everything they do is scrutinized and is reflected on their Dad’s ministry. Who is going to believe a Pastor who can’t keep his kids inline? That’s a lot of pressure on a teenager. They don’t usually have anyone to talk to because they may be afraid of who they can trust. We need to love and be gentle on our Preachers’ kids. They are just like any other kid.

Renewed Spirits- Pastors hear all the good and bad. They know a lot of heart breaking situations from counseling sessions. They also hear a lot of negative things that get said about them. I’ve heard far too many times that someone is withholding their tithes because they don’t like their Preacher……WOAH, so you are withholding your money that belongs to God from His Church to be used for His glory because you don’t like the man God put in charge…that’s a whole nother can of worms. That is just one example of the childishness that Preacher’s encounter. Not even including the weight of the evil they hear through counseling. That is hard. Pray God will renew their spirits and mend broken hearts.

These are just a few things. There is so much more we need to pray for…discernment, Godly wisdom, guidance, the fruits of the spirit, the armor of God over our Pastors etc. As a church, we need to be careful about how we talk publicly about or Pastors. Again, you have a problem, go talk privately with your Pastor instead of publicly with your friends. Encourage them. Pray for them. Same with their families.