Monday’s Ministry Encouragement: Written to encourage you, my friend in ministry, to be refreshed and renewed as we live for Christ and look toward the Bema.
What is a pastor’s greatest need?
- A new, cutting-edge podcast?
- The latest book by his favorite author?
- An increase in salary?
- More in attendance on Sunday morning?
- A break, as in, “I just can’t seem to catch a break!”
A pastor’s greatest need and most beneficial blessing is . . . prayer!
Pastor, is the quiet place, alone with your Heavenly Father, the dearest place on earth to you?
Is prayer an activity to you or is it your life? In other words, do you have a prayer life or a life prayer?
Since one of the most telling marks of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth was prayer, so must it be for us, His ministers. Jesus prayed alone, all night, with others, on the mountain, in agony, with his disciples, at the tomb of Lazarus, on the cross, etc.
A passage that has always been an encouragement and challenge to me in ministry is John 5:19, So Jesus answered them, I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. Another is recorded in John 8:28, So Jesus said, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. Since Jesus did nothing of His own initiative, on His human side He learned the heart of God through prayer.
There are many reasons that we has pastors should pray, but to have a heart in sync, in tune, in step with our Heavenly Father, we must be men of prayer. It’s in the quiet place where we talk to God and then we listen to God; we talk to God and then we listen to God. There we deny ourselves and learn His ways so that we too do nothing of our own initiative. There we have our eyes on the Father.
After a full weekend of ministry, you and I both need to come apart to a quiet place to hear the heart of God and be refreshed. He will meet you there.
Our greatest need today is found and satisfied at the Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:14-16)!!
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