LETS PRAY FOR OUR CHURCH LEADERS BIBLE READING: ACTS 2:42-7; ACTS 4:23-31; ACTS 12:5 For about 5 weeks now I have been working really hard on a project I have just ventured into. Things have not been easy, like with most new projects things do not exactly work out as you have planned, but God has continued to be my strength and support. Every time it seems I am at a crossroads, the Lord shows up and shows me the way to go. The project has now started fully and things are going very well. I want to thank those that have joined me in praying this project through; I must say without your prayers I do not know where I would be. The fact that I knew you were praying kept my faith strong and I am grateful to have friends like you in my life. This weekend I decided to take a few days off to put my feet up because I was tired and my body was telling me I needed to rest. As I was thinking about this, it occurred to me that the reason I could take time off whenever I wanted was because I ran my own business and invariably owned my own time. Apart from my husband, there was no one else this side of heaven that I needed to take permission from to take time off and just shut down. I was truly grateful to God for this and while just thanking Him that I could do this, thoughts of my Pastor came to mind. It occurred to me that he could not just take time off any time he wanted to rest. He could not just shut everyone out of his life like I could for a couple of days and I found myself unconsciously wondering for the first time how busy the schedules of our fathers in the Lord can be. I just support in the church and I know how my phone keeps ringing day and night because someone has a challenge and I have to answer. Sometimes when I am tired and on holiday, there are other Pastors in the church that can take over when I am not available, but when it comes to the Senior Pastor, he must always be available for the congregation. Most people are not satisfied when other Pastors in the church see them concerning their issues when they are determined to speak to the Senior Pastor. For someone like me, if someone wants to see me and I am not available, they will be satisfied to see someone else in church. Our Pastors cannot afford to get tired and shut us all out and I suddenly realised how hard it can be being the General Overseer of a church. I know my Senior Pastor goes away on holiday sometimes, but I also know that during those holidays, he spends most of his time counselling people on the phone. If people get to know where he is, they will go and “visit” and so it becomes a “working” holiday. What I am trying to make you realise today is that our Pastors, Bishops, Reverends, Ministers, whatever we call them, work very hard and we must begin to appreciate how much of their time we take up. They see and attend to us all-day and late into the night, everyday of the week and they still have their own biological families to attend to. As I began to think about this, I found that all I want to do during this time away is pray for Pastor Taiwo and Nomthi Odukoya. No amount of money can compensate them for what they do but I know that one thing they can never get enough of is prayer. I know that some of you might be thinking that God compensates our Pastors for what they do, but I want you to know that they are human too and I am sure sometimes they do get tired. Like us, they will have battles they are fighting which they do not have the privilege to share with anyone (except God) like we share ours with them. It is not like we cannot share ours with God as well, but we all know how the burden is lifted when we talk about our challenges with other Christians of like minds. I am sure many times they will feel like not coming to church to preach or counsel but they do not have the privilege to sit at home and not show up. I am sure there are times they would feel like not answering our phone calls, but they will because they know they have been called by God to take care of His flock so they cannot ignore our phone calls. We make our confessions to them, we share our burdens with them, we ask them to pray and fast along with us and sometimes we even get upset with them when we feel they are not giving us the attention we want. Brethren, today, I just want us to think about what our Pastors, Reverends, Bishops etc do and if we are led, take some time out this week to truly pray for them from the depths of our hearts. We are expected to pray for them everyday but I know if the truth be told, most of us do not even remember them in our prayers. I just want you to take a day at a time, a week at a time and just dedicate some time in praying fervently for them this week. As we take time to pray for them this week, I pray that the Holy Spirit will remind us to continue to pray for them every time we kneel to say our own personal prayers. The Christians in the Bible continually prayed for the Apostles, they never forgot them in their prayers; this is what God expects of us. As we go to them for guidance in all things, let us give back to them something money cannot buy. Remember to pray for them, their families and the work God has given them to do. As we sow the seeds of prayer in their lives, the Lord will continue to fight their battles, meet them at the point of their need, give them boldness and many signs and wonders will be done through them to bring glory to God this side of heaven in the mighty name of Jesus. Brethren, from now on, consciously remember to put all your Pastors in prayer, I know there is a reward awaiting those who do this. Pray for them in tongues and in your understanding. May God help us to continue to be a blessing to our Pastors and be counted as one of those believers who spent time praying for those God has put in authority over us. UNDER GRACE UNDER MERCY TINUKE OLASHORE
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 09:58:31 +0000
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