A Prayer for Overwhelmed Pastors
It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the Fall. Summer was nice, but it’s so short, and we don’t always feel ready for the busyness of September. So I’m praying a prayer for pastors who feel the weight of responsibility this time of year, and who may be limping into this next season of ministry.
A Prayer for Joy
I pray that your Fall will be filled with joy.
First, I pray that you will find joy in your relationship with God. I pray that you will be struck again with the wonder that God has saved you and called you into ministry (1 Timothy 1:12-17). More than that, I pray that you would sense his joy in you, not because you are worthy, but because of who you are in Christ. I pray you’ll sense the extent of his love for you.
Second, I pray that you’ll experience joy in ministry. Yes, ministry is tiring: more on that in a minute. But I pray that as you open the Bible to study God’s Word, that you will be filled with joy. I pray that as you pursue God’s heart for your church, that his joy will spill over into your life. I pray that as you show up Sunday after Sunday, that you will not just serve but be filled up by the ministry of the saints as they gather.
A Prayer for Endurance
Ministry is hard. The call to serve is the call to suffer (2 Timothy 2:3-7). Pastoral ministry has a way of wearing the pastor down that can’t be easily explained.
Some pastors see a lot of fruit for their labor. Other pastors don’t. Even those that see fruit long for more, and grow tired of the endless demands.
I pray that God will prepare you to endure through the difficulties of ministry. I pray that as you endure, that God will renew you inwardly. I pray that you wouldn’t see suffering as a sign that something is wrong with your ministry, but that you will instead see suffering as an integral part of ministry. I pray that you will be “strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11).
A Prayer for Encouragement
Finally, I want to pray that someone will encourage you. We all need encouragement sometimes. I pray that God will send along a Barnabas with just the right word when you need it. I’m praying that God will surprise you, because it’s not the person that you expected it to be. May that encouragement be specific, insightful, and timely.
If you are a pastor, whether or not you’re overwhelmed, I pray these three things for you this Fall. May you be filled with joy. May you patiently endure through the difficulties. And may you be encouraged by people who love and appreciate you just when you need it.
This is my prayer for pastors, overwhelmed or not.
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