After preaching for 26 years on Resurrection Sunday, one thing I know for sure, your pastor will appreciate your prayers this weekend. I know that many believers have already been praying for their spiritual leaders. Sometimes, though, our prayers are too general and, frankly, a little weak.
How can we step up our prayers for our leaders, especially this weekend? How can we pray so that the Spirit of God will show up in especially powerful ways through the life and ministry of our pastors?
What if we prayed according to the biblical symbols of the Holy Spirit?
The Spirit is like the wind. When Jesus talked about the initial work of the Spirit in our salvation, He likened the Spirit’s work to wind (John 3:8). The Spirit is like the rain. Rain brings refreshing where there once was dryness and barrenness. That’s good news for us because we live in a dry and barren land (Joel 2:23, 28a). The Spirit is like a river. We see similarities with the symbol of rivers and the symbol of rain. But the differences seem to warrant separate consideration. The rain comes upon us, while the rivers flow from us (John 7:38-39). The Spirit is like fire. Just as fire purifies, warms, and illuminates so does the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11). The Spirit is like anointing oil. In the Old Testament, oil was used to anoint priests, prophets, and kings. In the New Testament we see that Jesus was anointed “with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10: 38). The Spirit is like a seal or guarantee. The Holy Spirit is the “guarantee” or “seal” in the hearts of the followers of Christ (Ephesians 1:13b-14). Finally, the Spirit is like a dove. In Matthew 3:16, we see the Holy Spirit coming as a dove to rest on Jesus at His baptism. This pictures the Spirit’s approval, beauty, gentleness, and peace.
Today and tomorrow morning, take these symbols of the Holy Spirit and invite Him to display these characteristic more and more deeply through your pastor as he preaches this Resurrection Weekend. Pray expectantly!
1. Ask the Spirit to blow His mighty wind to empower your pastor's life and teaching
2. Ask Him to pour His refreshing rain onto your pastor's life and ministry
3. Ask Him to open up His rivers of living water to flow through your pastor as he leads your congregation
4. Ask Him to refine your pastor with His fire and to set his soul on fire as he ministers
5. Ask Him to anoint your pastor with fresh oil so he can serve the broken with greater fruitfulness
6. Ask Him to give your pastor a greater sense of his sealing and his assurance of heaven so others can be sealed and assured of heaven, too
7. Ask Him to rest on your pastor's life as a dove with His beauty, gentleness, and peace
Ask all this so that the Father will be glorified in raising the Son to life and granting New Life to many unbelievers and believers this weekend.
6. Ask Him to give your pastor a greater sense of his sealing and his assurance of heaven so others can be sealed and assured of heaven, too
7. Ask Him to rest on your pastor's life as a dove with His beauty, gentleness, and peace
Ask all this so that the Father will be glorified in raising the Son to life and granting New Life to many unbelievers and believers this weekend.
Because of the resurrection, everything has changed. We are going to heaven and want to take as many people with us as we can! Your prayers matter.
So, pray for your pastor. He will be glad you did and so will the people that he leads to Christ this weekend.
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