Family of God: Re: [FamilyofGod] Pastoral prayers

i am definetley praying

He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord.

ShelleyGlitter

From: Jolene Cardenas <joe.haiku@gmail.com>
To: Family Of God <FamilyofGod@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, October 28, 2009 7:30:57 AM
Subject: [FamilyofGod] Pastoral prayers

dear FG brethren,

The Lord is putting upon my heart to pray daily and earnestly for the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical well-being of all the senior pastors of Christian churches globally--big and small, nondenominational and denominational- -who teach the entire Word of God to their congregations. These men go through hardships and verbal persecution that us ordinary lay people wouldn't even begin to fathom and every decision they make has so much weight to it that it'll either lead the brethren astray in demonic doctrines or true doctrines according to the Word! Every word of exhortation and comfort they give to a congregation member who's asking for prayer also has weight to it, for it can draw strong emotional reaction from people that's either Biblical or nonBiblical, positive or, horror of horrors, brutally negative! Every meeting they may lead with church staff they must carefully oversee--even in the event of a clash of personal opinions of how this should be done or how that should be said, etc. and that can be unspeakably challenging and tense! All this is just a drop in the bucket for many of them--and that doesn't include the fact that these men must still fulfill their responsibilities as husband, father (and grandfather, if they has grandkids), businessman (if they own and run a business with the wife from home), etc. and etc. So much responsibility. ..so much demands made upon them by so many people from all different directions.. .And yet the common belief is, "Oh well, that's his job! That's what a pastor is for, right?" Well, our pastors are only human, just like we are, and we so often forget to pray for them just because many of them don't ask us for prayer for their spiritual well-being. Please be sensitive to such needs, brethren, because these guys are just like the rest of us...It's just that their responsibilities and such are far greater than ours...

P.S. Some of my greatest (and, indeed, most humbling moments) of leadership in ministry is time I spend laying hands upon my own pastor and praying for him after a long missions trip to a far country. This has bonded us together spiritually in a way I just cannot describe...and his wife is so blessed by this, to the point where she is now sparing as much time as she can for prayer, not just for their own family but for all!...An guess what my pastor calls me? Not "little miss," or "You over othere" or any derogatory term, but "My sister." My sister? Yes, it's a term that implies a level of spiritual equality, not superiority versus inferiority! And it all started because I had lain hands upon him awhile back and prayed for him. Remember Jesus' basic mission when He came into this world from Heaven: To serve, rather than to be served!!!

in Christ my True Everything,
Jolene.

The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.--Psalm 28:7 (NASB)

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