Supporting pastors with financial gifts and prayers

Published 3:40 am Thursday, October 11, 2018

Sunday, my husband performed his first wedding ceremony for a non-family member. A friend we’ve known for over 20 years was tying the knot. Knowing that Doug had officiated at one of our son’s wedding a couple of years ago and is slated to do the same for another next summer, our friend asked Doug to preside over his nuptials as well.

Doug teased me about turning this new clerical role into a part time job, but after watching how he wrote and rewrote and revised and practiced and agonized over what he would say to and on behalf of this week’s happy couple, I think there is little danger in him going into full-time ministry or even making a side hustle out of doing weddings.

The experience did, however, give us both a whole new appreciation of all the work pastors put into preparing their messages each and every week — sometimes even for multiple services a week. It also convicted us that we need to be supporting such ministers of the Word not only with our financial gifts, but also with our prayers.

Since this Sunday is National Clergy Appreciation Day, I thought it would be fitting to share the following prayer with my readers, so you can pray for your preacher, too.

Based on relevant Scripture verses, my prayer is designed as an acrostic that spells PASTOR:

P is for Peaceable

Ask God to help your pastor abandon a quarrel before it breaks out and to avoid slandering anyone. Pray that he would be peaceable and gentle; ask that he might live in peace, even with his enemies. (Proverbs 17:14; Titus 3:2; Proverbs 16:7)

A is for Above Reproach

Pray that your pastor would live a blameless life, that he would be faithful to his wife and that he would raise children who are sincere believers, not wild or disobedient. Pray that God would protect his heart against greed, violence, drunkenness, impatience and self-absorption. (Titus 1:6-7)

S is for Self-Disciplined

Ask God to grant your elder an extra measure of self-control. Pray that he’d live an upright, holy and disciplined life. Teach him, O Lord, to love what is good and give him a pure and steadfast heart. Keep him alert and sober-minded. (Titus 1:8; Psalm 51:10: 1 Peter 4:7)

T is for Teaching Truth

Pray that your pastor will hold firmly and be faithful to the Word of God, so that by sound teaching he will be able to encourage others and refute those who contradict its message. Pray that he would be a doer of the word, and not merely a hearer, since as a teacher he will incur a stricter judgment. (Titus 1:9; James 1:22-23; James 3:1)

O is for Obedient

Ask God to make your elder a man after His own heart. May he submit to the Word of God with humility and be obedient in everything, just as Christ humbled Himself and became obedient, even unto death. Help him run with endurance the race that You’ve marked out for him. (1 Samuel 13:14; 2 Corinthians 2:9; Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 12:1)

R is for Respected

Pray that God would give your pastor a good name in your community. Let him do nothing, Lord, that would tarnish his reputation or cause a little one to stumble. Let him be known for his wisdom, integrity and hospitality. (Proverbs 22:1; Mark 9:42; 1 Corinthians 12:8; Psalm 25:21; Titus 1:8)

Jennifer Flanders is a firm believer in the power of prayer. For a pretty, printable versions of this and other prayer guides, please visit https://bit.ly/prayerprintables.