Tag: prayer

Pray for Your Pastor

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
 “Obey your leaders and do what they say. They are watching over you, and they must answer to God. So don’t make them sad as they do their work. Make them happy. Otherwise, they won’t be able to help you at all” (Hebrews 13:17, Contemporary English Version).
 
“Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God.Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit” (Hebrews 13:17, New Living Translation).
 
“Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?” (Hebrews 13:17, The Message)
 
A survey on American clergy by the Schaeffer Institute found some of the following information:
·         90% of pastors report working between 55-75 hours per week.
·         70% of pastors constantly fight depression.
·         50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they had another job lined-up right away.
·         80% of pastors believe church ministry has negatively affected their families.
·         80% of pastoral spouses feel lonely and underappreciated by church members.
·         40% of pastors report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
·         50% of pastors starting out will not last five years.
·         Only 10% of pastors will actually retire as pastors.
·         Over 1,700 pastors leave the ministry every month in the United States; 1,300 of them are fired by their churches.
·         The number one reason pastors leave the ministry is that church people are not willing to go the same direction and support the goal of the pastor; pastors believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow.
 
Speaking as a pastor, the one thing I want every single church member to know about me is this:  Your prayer support is my life support.  Without regular, earnest, sustained, fervent, and constant prayers sent for me and my family, no matter how hard I labor or how much I work the ministry will go nowhere.  But with habitual and spirited prayer, even the most anemic weaknesses can be transcended and the church can grow with thriving health and joy.
 
Lift up prayers for your pastor today and every day, appealing to God concerning these things:
            P rotection from the enemy
            R est
            A nointing of the Spirit
            Y ielded heart to God
            E ffectiveness in ministry

 

            Righteous life of integrity

Luke 22:39-46

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            It’s easy to believe that we are people of prayer, that is, until we contrast ourselves with Jesus.  One of the problems we often run into when thinking about ourselves is that we make comparisons with the wrong people.  Compared to others, we look pretty good.  After all, I pray more than the next guy, right!?  But consider how Jesus prayed when faced with enduring the ignominy of the cross:  “Jesus was in great pain and prayed so sincerely that his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood.”
 
            Even Jesus, the Son of God, felt the intense need to watch and pray so that he could face his time of suffering and humiliation on behalf of humanity.  I would conjecture that even your most incredible time of prayer probably doesn’t compare to the experience of Jesus in prayer.  That isn’t meant to be a source of guilt, to try and somehow twist our collective arm to be more sincere and focused.  Rather, it is meant to show us that there is much more room to grow in this business of prayer than we ever thought.
 
            Perhaps there is so little church renewal, so puny personal revival, and such a paucity of revitalization and reformation among so many Christians because our prayers are so small and so far in between each other.  Jesus prayed because he needed it.  I pray because without God I am hopelessly lost.  I pray because I desperately need Jesus.  I pray because only the Holy Spirit can bring the empowerment to face the rigors of ministry in front of me.  I pray because I sincerely believe that humanity’s hope rests with the blessed Holy Trinity, the God whom I serve.
 

 

            Gracious Lord Jesus, I am eternally grateful for what you did on my behalf by enduring the shame of the cross.  I have much to learn in praying sincerely, earnestly, and effectively.  Teach me, Lord, so that I might be like you in all I do and say.  Amen.

The Breathing of Prayer

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
            Prayer is the breath of the believer.  There is no life apart from the breathing of prayer.  But with prayer there is life because it opens us to a life-giving relationship with God in Christ.  One of the ancient fathers of the faith once described prayer in this way:  “To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all seeing, within you.”  It would be weird if I told you that it is your duty to breathe.  Instead, it is our delight to breathe clean fresh air every day.  We don’t need to be told to do it; it is just a part of being alive.
 
            There is such a thing throughout the history of the church known as “the breath prayer.”  It is to pray short repetitive prayers, like breathing.  It would be strange if I told you that breathing is too common and repetitious, and, so, it should be different or not done so often.  Like breathing, prayer is to be done not once but many times, over and over again.  The Jesus Prayer is a breath prayer.  It comes from a combination of Luke chapter 18 verses 13 and 39:  “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” and “Son of David, have mercy on me.”  Put together, it can be said in a breath.  Breathing-in, you pray “Jesus, Son of David,” and breathing-out, “have mercy on me, a sinner.”  It is a prayer meant to surrender ourselves to God’s grace as naturally as it is to breathe.  To utter it several times is a continual reminder of the God in whose presence we stand.  If we are to live into Paul’s command to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), then learning the rhythm of breath prayers can be quite important.
 
            Furthermore, just like breathing, prayer is more effective and is better done in a position or a posture that is conducive for it to happen.  Putting a pillow over your face makes it difficult to breathe.  But sitting up and paying attention to taking-in deep amounts of air helps us to breathe well.  Within Scripture, there is no one-size-fits-all to prayer.  Standing, having outstretched arms, uplifted eyes, kneeling, and even prostrating ourselves are all postures of prayer before God.  We severely limit ourselves if we only think of praying with eyes closed, head-bowed, and hands folded.
 
            Standing is usually seen as a gesture of respect in many cultures, even our own.  Sometimes it is good to stand when we pray, acknowledging God’s majesty and our desire to submit to him.  Lifting our arms helps to give us an awareness of God’s bigness and that he is over and above us; it is a posture that literally opens the core of our body toward God and communicates a willingness to receive whatever he has for us.  Looking up to heaven with open eyes causes us to know we are not alone, but God watches us.  Praying on our knees is certainly a way of expressing humility before God.  Prostrating ourselves, or lying face down, is a powerful reminder that we pray mindful of our place – that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.  Every breath is dependent upon God in whom we place our trust.
 
            It is therefore only fitting that a room your church building be designated for the primary task of prayer.  A Prayer Room not only visibly reminds us how important prayer is to the church, but is a special place available to stand, sit, or kneel in prayer so that the Spirit-breath of God can fill us with life and blessing.  A Prayer Room is designed for Christians to worship and pray, to intercede for others, and to stand in the gap by praying for the salvation of those who need Jesus Christ.
 

 

            Seasons come and go, but it is always open season on prayer.  Let us renew our efforts and our effectiveness at praying to the God who was, who is, and who is to come.  May you know the joy of answered prayer, and the love of God in whose mercy is our very breath.

Lamentations 5:1-22

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Prayer is not about getting the right words strung together in a correct formula in a perfect disposition of the heart.  Prayer is conversation.  Prayer is communication with God.  Sometimes it looks a lot more like a triage unit than a steeple, and like desperation more than ebullient praise.  God is someone we tell the truth about what is really going on in our lives.  Prayer is not prayer when we just tell God what we think he wants to hear.
 
            Jeremiah prayed, and much of it was lament, complaint, and raw feeling.  We hear his cry to God, not worrying about whether it is appropriate language or not.  So, we get prayer phrases like:  “We are worn out and can find no rest.”  “Our hearts are sad.”  “We are doomed.”  “We feel sick all over and can’t even see straight.”  “Why have you forgotten us for so long?”  “Do you despise us so much that you don’t want us?”  Jeremiah was not concerned about how he sounded, and not afraid to express his real thoughts.
 
            Every thought or feeling is a valid entry into prayer.  It is of utmost importance that we pray what is actually inside of us and not what we believe God would like to see in us.  God doesn’t like pretense and posturing; he wants the real us.  Plastic words and phony speeches are an affront to him.  We need to pray precisely what is on our minds and hearts – unfiltered if need be.  It’s okay.  God is most certainly big enough to handle it.  No matter the headache or the heartache, we only need to pray without concern for perfection.
 

 

            Gracious God, sometimes I feel like I have to have it all together to even speak to you.  But you already know my heart better than I know it myself.  Forgive my constant hiding from you, and accept my heartfelt prayer to you for grace and help!  Amen.