Through the years I have had several people tell me that they are praying for me as their preacher. I always appreciate their kind thoughts and especially those prayers. I know that the prayers of God’s people encourage me, strengthen me and empower me everyday.

So if you are the kind of person who is willing to pray for their preacher, then let me share with you a few of my prayer needs. I think most of these apply to every pastor I know.

1. Pray for Them as a Person. Pray for your preacher like you would a family member. Pray that God will bless them. Pray that He will shower them with grace and mercy. Pray that God will lead and direct them in their home and their work. Pray for their safety and their health. Pray for them.

2. Pray Against Temptation. Every person, including pastors, have a weak point in their lives. That may be pride, anger, lust, greed, gossip or a variety of sins. I believe that evil one will find that weak point and try to exploit it. Pray that you preacher will stand strong against the forces of evil at work in his life.

3. Pray Concerning Their Family. Trouble at home makes ministry even harder to do effectively. Think about how your family struggles affect your work life. Well, for a pastor Sunday is always coming and no family issue can stop it from coming. Even on difficult weeks a sermon still needs prepared and preached. I would also encourage you to say a special prayer for the pastor’s wife. She needs it too.

4. Pray for a Clear Voice. Most preachers speak at least twice a week. Some of them do it even more. There is a constant cycle of ideas, study, learning, writing and speaking going on each week. Pray that the pastor will say the right things to the people who need to hear it.

5. Pray About Their Leadership. Honestly, I have no idea what I am doing. I know what I have been taught, what I have read and what I have experienced. But I really never know what God is doing in the lives of His people or this Church. Most pastors are not really qualified to lead a congregation. We were taught how to study the Bible and then to preach and teach it. There was not even an internet when I went to college and now I am suppose to use it for ministry. How do I do that? I have no idea exactly how to do anything, but I ask God to lead me. A pastor needs others to do the same thing for him.

I am sure there are other things I could add to the list, but these are the big ones for me. These are the things I pray for everyday concerning myself. I would ask you to pray for the same things for me or for any pastor you know.