Praying for Your Pastor

When my husband and I first got married, he was a part-time youth pastor at a small country church in rural Washington. When October rolled around, we got a call from a member of the congregation who said that it was Pastor Appreciation Month and he and his wife wanted to treat the two of us to a fancy dinner out.

We were newlywed at the time and dead broke, so we really felt spoiled by their generous offer. The next year when Pastor Appreciation Month rolled around again, I remembered how blessed we were by their gesture and wanted to do something kind for our senior pastor and his family.

The problem was I didn’t have a clue what to do.

Buying a gift was out of the question given our budget constraints. I knew whatever I did should be heartfelt, something besides a hastily written card or a plate of cookies. Besides, that church was pretty good at taking Pastor Appreciation Month seriously, so I knew others would be doing that sort of thing.

I wanted to be different.

So I sent my pastor and his wife a note and told them that I’d spend ten minutes a day fervently praying for them. Ten minutes doesn’t sound like much unless you’re not used to praying that specifically for that amount of time! I found it hard at first to stay on task, but I also knew that the way I was blessing my pastor and his family would have lasting impact.

3 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor

Of course, your pastor needs prayers every day, not just in October. Here are just a few ways you can bless your pastor and his family with your prayers throughout the year.

Pray for His Spiritual Walk

One of the most dangerous lies congregants believe is that their pastor is blessed with a deeper relationship with Christ simply as a result of his position. You may think your pastor has it easy. He gets paid to study God’s Word. But your pastor has so many distractions and so many demands for his time that his devotional life may be one of the first things to suffer during a busy spell. Praying or spending time in God’s Word for personal edification can really start to feel like work when that’s what he’s been doing at the office all week. He might be so busy feeding his flock so to speak that he neglects to nourish his own soul on the refreshing Word of God.

Lord, please help my pastor to look to you for his strength, encouragement, and inspiration. Fill him with your anointing this week. Give him joy as he studies your Word, and bless him in his prayer life so he can enjoy deeper fellowship with you.

Pray for Spiritual Protection

Without the power of the Holy Spirit, even the most talented preacher will be unable to breathe life and hope and encouragement into his congregation Sunday after Sunday. So many pastors are fulfilling the work God’s called them to with very little prayer covering protecting them. As a prayer warrior, you’re the ground support. You’re the one blessing your pastor with strength and inspiration by your prayers while he’s out there ministering on the frontlines. Don’t let him jump into that battle alone! Your pastor needs the Holy Spirit every day as he ministers to your church body.

Father God, please encourage my pastor today. Deliver him from discouragement and exhaustion. Give him strength and energy to fulfill the work you’ve called him to. Give him victory over every evil attack against him, and cover his mind, body, and spirit with your powerful protection.

Pray for His Family

As a pastor’s wife, I can tell you unequivocally how important your prayers are! When a pastor is doing the work of the Lord day in and day out, he’s opening himself up to spiritual assault. One of the places the enemy loves to attack is his family. Your pastor’s marriage, his wife, his children — all of these will suffer if the devil has his way. Don’t assume that just because your pastor is a full-time minister that he has the perfect home life. Instead, bless him by your prayers and ask God to strengthen his family every single day.

Lord, please watch over my pastor’s family. Bless his marriage and allow them to enjoy open communication, harmonious unity, and refreshing joy. Protect his children and watch over their health and spiritual well-being. Give him wisdom as a husband and a father to make wise decisions as the head of his home.