If God has called you to be a pastor, I am sure you desire to pray for your people. Unfortunately, desire is not everything. When our Lord asked His faithful disciples to «remain here and watch with Me,» I am sure they sincerely desired to pray and watch with the One they loved. Unfortunately, this desire was not enough. Instead, they became a vivid example of the painful truth that every pastor faces when it comes to prayer: «The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak» (Matthew 26:41). How many times have you made a new determination to pray for your people, only to fall asleep because «your eyes were heavy» (Matthew 26:43)?
The purpose of this article is to counter our tired minds with the prayer-invigorating truths of God’s Word. I hope these reflections will awaken your soul and you will be able to respond and say with the apostles: «We will devote ourselves to prayer continually» (Acts 6:4).
To that end, I offer six biblical truths that I hope will pull us out of our sleepy state of prayer impotence.
1. Not praying for your people is a sin.
Prayerlessness is a sin. We must be honest about this. A pastor who does not pray for his people is just as unfaithful as a pastor who refuses to preach the Word of God.
The prophet Samuel made this clear when he promised to pray for the people of Israel, saying, «Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you…» (1 Sam. 12:23). Samuel understood that failing to pray for God’s people is a sin against God. To leave God’s people without prayer is to leave them without care, without provision, and without guidance, «like sheep without a shepherd» (Matt. 9:36). As shepherds, we are called to avoid sin and pursue righteousness. We must learn to avoid the sin of prayerlessness and develop a righteous and wonderful habit of praying for our people.
2. Praying for your people glorifies God.
One of my favorite verses about prayer is Psalm 50:15: «Then you will call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me.».
Every day of sorrow is a day when we have the opportunity and privilege to glorify God. When He answers our prayers and works in the lives of those we pray for, He gets the glory.
We should follow the advice of John Newton (1725–1807) from one of his hymns:
Come, soul, pray again — Jesus opened the call to heaven. He Himself commanded us not to be silent, And will not reject those who come to pray. And will not reject those who come to pray.
You go to the King of kings — Ask for great, living gifts. His grace is without limit, without bounds, And no request will be «too much» either. And no request will be «too much» either.
When we ask the Lord to act in our difficulties, we give Him the glory He deserves.
3. We are called to imitate leaders who pray for their people.
Hebrews 13:7 tells us to reflect on the lives of our church leaders: «Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you, and considering the outcome of their conduct, imitate their faith.».
We see this in the life of the apostle Paul, who told the believers in Colossae that he and his fellow workers had not ceased praying for them since the day they heard about them (Col. 1:9). Think about this, brothers, and imitate this way of life. Consider also the example of Epaphras, «one of you, a servant of Jesus Christ,» and how Paul says that he «always labors for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God» (Col. 4:12). Remember the examples of godly men, men of prayer.
4. Praying for one's people reflects the priorities of the New Testament church.
The early Christians devoted themselves to «prayer» (Acts 2:42), and as the church grew and the demands on leadership increased, church leaders realized they needed to reevaluate their priorities (Acts 6). Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they declared:
«It is not right for us to neglect the word of God and to serve tables. Brothers, select from among you seven trustworthy men, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this work. But we will devote ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word» (Acts 6:2–4).
Did you notice that the apostles’ list of things to do included studying and teaching the Word and praying? They realized that they would lose everything if they gave up prayer. All the generosity needed to care for the widows would dry up if the leaders did not continue to draw from the well of God’s grace through prayer for God’s people.
5. Praying for your people will lead to changes in them.
The apostle Paul saw prayer as a primary means of contributing to the sanctification of God’s people. That is why he prayed:
«"That's why we are inFrom the day they heard this, We do not cease to pray for you and ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthening with all strength »according to the power of His glory, for all endurance and patience” (Col. 1:9–11).
«I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve all things and be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God» (Phil. 1:9–11).
Knowledge, wisdom, understanding, changes in life, the fruits of righteousness, power, endurance and patience, love—for the apostle Paul, all these blessings came to God’s people through prayer. Do our people display these characteristics? Perhaps not, because we «do not ask» (James 4:2). Oh, Lord, move us to pray!
6. Prayer is a way for ordinary people to do extraordinary things for God.
For many years, the pastors in my church have sought to be obedient to God’s call to pray for the sick according to James 5:14. Every time we gather with one of God’s suffering saints to ask the Lord for their healing, I am inspired by one verse in James.
James reminds us, «Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months» (James 5:17). I have always thought it was a tender mercy of God that this verse was placed at the end of the fifth chapter.
Think about it. James has just told the sick to call on the pastors of the church to pray for the sick, hoping for healing. He seems to think that healing should not be something extraordinary, but that it is something we should expect from God in the daily life of our church. He writes, «The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.» What a promise! The pastors are asking God to perform a miracle. James understands how pastors often think, «Me? I am only a man!» And to answer this warning, he concludes the story of Elijah: «And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit» (James 5:17).
James says, «Look, shepherds, you are just like Elijah, the one God used to change the weather for three and a half years. Can’t God use an ordinary person like you to do extraordinary things?» What encouragement and encouragement! We don’t have to be extraordinary for God to do extraordinary (extraordinary) things through our ministry. Instead, we need to fully and joyfully embrace our ordinaryness and rely on the extraordinary promises of God.
Brethren, I hope these six reasons will shape your conscience and stir your heart to a deeper passion and determination to pray.
Commit yourself to prayer for your people. Why not ask God to guide you to new prayer choices right now? Let the fruit of obedience flow from a mind transformed by God’s Word (Rom. 12:1-2). Prayer brings glory to God, follows the example of great men of the past, reflects the priority of the early Church, changes our people, and is used by God to enable ordinary people to do extraordinary things. May God help us to pray!
