Prayer is important to the Christian life. A few of us take a extra systematic strategy, writing down requests and scheduling time for centered communion with the Lord. Others of us are extra spontaneous, bringing our requests to God as they arrive to thoughts and all through the day.
Regardless of our strategy, we might do effectively so as to add a significant however typically uncared for immediate to our routines: praying for our pastors. There is perhaps particular wants our pastors have for which we will pray. However even when we don’t know the particulars, we will pray typically for them, utilizing Paul’s remaining cost to Timothy as a information: “As for you, at all times be sober-minded, endure struggling, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5).
This temporary exhortation outlines 4 methods you possibly can pray in your pastors.
1) Pray He Would Be Sober-Minded
Paul instructs Timothy to “at all times be sober-minded” in his ministry—or, because the NIV has it, “Maintain your head in all conditions.” Pastors want their folks to wish that they’d stay grounded irrespective of the duty at hand.
Pastors at all times face two nice challenges. On the one hand is the hazard of changing into hyped up with delight due to undue reward; on the opposite is that of changing into discouraged due to unhelpful criticism. An anonymously written piece about “the proper pastor” provides a way of simply how exhausting day by day ministry may be for ministers:
Outcomes of a computerized survey point out that the proper pastor preaches precisely fifteen minutes. He condemns sin however by no means embarrasses anybody. He works from 8:00 a.m. till midnight and can also be the janitor. He makes sixty {dollars} every week, wears good garments, drives a brand new automobile, and provides fifty {dollars} every week to the poor. He’s twenty-eight years previous, has been preaching for twenty-five years, is splendidly light and good-looking, likes to work with youngsters, and spends numerous hours with senior residents. He makes fifteen calls day by day on parish households, shut-ins, and hospital sufferers and is at all times in his workplace when wanted.
In case your pastor doesn’t measure up, merely ship this letter to 6 different parishes which can be uninterested in their pastors too. Then bundle up your pastor and ship him to the church on the prime of the record. In a single week, you’ll obtain 1,643 pastors, and one in all them ought to be good.
Whereas this little bit of writing is supposed to be humorous, its description isn’t too far faraway from the fact of unrealistic, inconsistent expectations folks typically have for pastors. Just one man can meet each congregant’s expectations—and it isn’t the pastor. It’s Jesus.
We should pray for our pastors to maintain their heads in all conditions.
2) Pray He Would Endure Struggling
Subsequent, Paul addresses the difficulty of struggling in ministry. Little doubt, pastors within the first century confronted critical hardship, from threats of Roman persecution exterior the church to harmful false instructing inside. Regardless of the particular trial, it’s essential that pastors in each era neither courtroom struggling nor complain about it however that they study to endure it.
Pastors at all times face two nice challenges: delight due to undue reward and discouragement due to unhelpful criticism.
Think about the work of preaching, for instance. We could not consider sermon preparation and supply as struggling per se, however there is a level of hardship related to the duty. Paul has already established the seriousness of preaching in 2 Tim. 4:1–2: “I cost you within the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who’s to evaluate the residing and the useless, and by his showing and his kingdom: preach the phrase; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with full endurance and instructing.”
What a activity! Even when we’re unaware of the actual conflicts our pastors face week to week, the strange calls for of ministry are taxing. We must always subsequently pray that they carry on.
3) Pray He Would Do the Work of an Evangelist
Paul continues, urging Timothy to have interaction within the activity of evangelism, or sharing the excellent news of Jesus. This work is maybe among the many most uncared for of all in pastoral circles. Tied up within the calls for of pastoral care and preaching, many pastors push evangelism to the aspect.
Uniquely, ministers should do the work of evangelism inside the context of pastoring. They aren’t within the market working secular jobs, so to talk. However relatively than excuse him, Paul doubles down, saying to Timothy, “Regardless of your pastoral privileges and duties, see to it that you’re additionally participating the misplaced with the Gospel.”
We must always pray for God to burden our pastors for the misplaced—that our leaders could be pastoral evangelists, dedicated with Paul to profitable as many women and men as attainable to Christ (1 Cor. 9:19).
4) Pray He Would Fulfill His Ministry
Lastly, Timothy is to satisfy his ministry. The phrase primarily means, “Don’t give up, however see it via to the tip.” Paul envisions a long-term ministry for Timothy and for pastors after him. He needs for Timothy to have the ability to say on the finish of his life what he stated on the finish of his personal: “I’ve fought the nice combat, I’ve completed the race, I’ve saved the religion” (2 Tim. 4:7).
Our pastors received’t essentially be capable to mirror on their ministries and say, “I’ve been good,” or “I’ve been tremendously profitable.” However that isn’t what we’re to wish for them. Brilliance and success aren’t the objective. A trustworthy stroll with Christ until the tip is. We must always pray that our pastors stay dedicated to Christ and His Phrase, discharging all of the duties of their activity.
We must always pray for our pastors to be evangelists, profitable women and men to Christ.
Utilizing 2 Timothy 4:5 as a place to begin, would you decide to diligently, systematically, and faithfully pray in your pastor? You don’t have to know all the main points of his life. Fairly, regardless of his circumstances, pray for him to be sober-minded, endure struggling, evangelize the misplaced, and fulfill his ministry.
This text was tailored from the sermon “A Prayer for Pastors” by Alistair Begg.
