A few months ago, I received a request from a reader named Laura asking if I would make a free printable prayer guide devoted to Praying for Your Pastor.

“These guys need a LOT of prayer,” she wrote, “and there are many verses to support this.” I had already published printables to help readers pray for their…

• Husband: Praying for Your Husband from Head to Toe
• Wife: Praying for Your Wife from Head to Toe
• Children: Praying for Your Children from Head to Toe
• Husband, again (they need lots of prayer 🙂 ): Praying Scripture over Your Husband
• Marriage: Praying for Your Marriage
• Baby: Praying for Your Unborn Child
• Teenagers: Praying for Your Teens
• Parents: Praying for Your Parents
• Sick Friends and Family: Praying for the Sick
• Country: Praying for Your Country

Why not add a “Praying for Your Pastor” guide to the list? That made perfect sense to me.

So here’s what I came up with, based on relevant Scripture verses (click on references to read the passages cited). The prayers form 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 & 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 & steadfast heart. Keep him alert & 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 judgement. (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)

Laura was right. Pastors do need a lot of prayer. As soon as a person surrenders to the ministry, it’s as if a giant target gets painted on his back. Satan works overtime trying to take him down, hoping that if he falls, his flock will scatter as well. (The same can be said of parents and their children!)

Yet Christians serve a God who is greater than anything the devil can throw at us. That’s why I’m such a proponent of prayer. The Bible tells us, “You have not, because you ask not.” (James 4:2) I’m trying to change that narrative, one printable prayer guide at a time. 🙂