10/02/2023
🔴 BE THE PRAYER WARRIOR ON THE HILL
This special month of honoring our shepherds is a wonderful time to give them the greatest gift of all: a deep commitment to be a prayer warrior for God’s leader.
“Son, you have to get up! It’s time to get ready for church.”
Mom was trying, but her son wasn’t moving. He just mumbled, “I don’t want to go, Mom.”
“Son! It’s Sunday! It’s church time!” To which he responded, “I really don’t want to go, Mom. I don’t have friends there…they don’t like me. Not going.”
Finally, Mom pressed her closing argument: “You have to go. You’re 42 years old...and you’re the pastor!”
Pastors laugh when I tell that story. Maybe because there’s something in there that rings a bell. Feeling battle-weary. Battle-scarred. Disconnected. Beat up. And really low on encouragement.
While they are, in God’s words, “shepherds of God’s flock” (1 Peter 5:2), they’re also subject to the same insecurities, passions, and discouragement we all are. Like us, they struggle with fear and worth; with temptation and loneliness.
And they need prayer and encouragement.
Yes, they’re human. But they’re also heroes. They bear the burdens of their “flock.” They are there, as one person said lightheartedly, “when we’re hatched, when we’re matched, and when we’re dispatched.”
And they love their people, warts and all. They are often the difference-maker in some of life’s loneliest, most painful moments. They are the “go-to” person for everything from someone’s personal crisis to a broken heart to a plumbing problem at the church.
So this special month of honoring our shepherds is a wonderful time to give them the greatest gift of all: a deep commitment to be a prayer warrior for God’s leader.
▪️A Biblical Example of the Gift of Prayer
Consider the old man on the hill. His young “intern,” Joshua, was leading the Israelites into battle against the brutal Amalekites. It was Joshua’s first command. With the help of two assistants, Moses slowly made his way up a hill overlooking the battle. Moses lifted up his hands and began to pray—until his arms gave out.
The Bible reveals that “as long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.” Seeing that, Moses’ helpers “held his hands up.” Outcome: “So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army.”
Later Moses explained, “hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord” (Exodus 17:10-16). It’s more than a Bible story. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the difference between victory and defeat in the life of a leader.
That difference is the prayer warrior on the hill! That’s what you can be for your pastor.
For it is the prayer warrior who, more than any other person, determines the outcome of the battle. As S. D. Gordon said, “Prayer strikes the winning blow. Service is simply picking up the results.”
So how can we pray for our pastor in appreciation this month? Based on the dedicated shepherds I have known, our intercession should focus on these seven areas:
1. Pray for Your Pastor’s Daily Heart-Connect with Jesus
2. Pray for Your Pastor’s Priorities
3. Pray for Protection from Enemy Attack
4. Pray for a Loving Marriage and Jesus-Loving Kids
5. Pray for “Fresh Manna” to feed God’s People
6. Pray for That Life-Changing Combination of Courage and Compassion
7. Pray for Encouragement
In many ways, you can be part of the answer to your own prayer. Pray with your pastor, not just for him. And follow Paul’s direction: “Acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work” (1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13)
Your pastor is, like Joshua, in the thick of the battle. When he is prayed for, he wins. When he is not prayed for, he starts to lose.
So go beyond just appreciating your pastor. Empower him…protect him…care for him—by faithfully, fervently praying for him. Because the battle is not won or lost on the battlefield. It is won or lost by the prayer warrior on the hill.
— Ron Hutchcraft
