Pray for the Shepherd

Pray for the Shepherd

(Ephesians 6:19-22)

“Prayer for the pastor? Well… would my prayer really help? Our pastor is such a strong person.” Have you ever thought this way? If so, your shepherd may be struggling alone, without any support, in the midst of fierce spiritual warfare.

1. Paul’s Request for Prayer
Even while in chains, Paul asked the believers to pray for him: “Pray that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.” Paul did not fix his eyes on his circumstances; his heart was set only on the preaching of the word. For him, what mattered was not himself, but the ministry of the gospel. And the ones who must carry out this ministry were not Paul alone, but all the saints who had received the grace of the gospel.

2. Satan’s Concentrated Attacks
The shepherd is subject to Satan’s concentrated attacks. Satan knows well that if he strikes the shepherd, the sheep will scatter. So he schemes to make the shepherd lose heart, fall into self-satisfaction, or do his ministry with selfish motives. If such schemes succeed, the shepherd’s work of making believers perfect in Christ cannot be fulfilled. On the other hand, when believers pray for their shepherd, he will be able to endure his sufferings with the strength that God gives—and as a result, the church will be well preserved.

3. Prayer for the Kingdom

If believers do not pray for the church and their shepherd, but are preoccupied only with themselves and their family matters, in a greater sense it is like turning away from the grace that God Himself is unfolding. Prayer for the shepherd is not merely for him as an individual; it is prayer for all the saints—including the one who prays—for the whole church, and for the kingdom of God. Therefore, let us earnestly pray for the shepherd. Let us acknowledge the will of God who has called us into one path, and let us respond to that calling with compassion and faithfulness.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim