Praying Congregations
Today, as I read a passage in Colossians, I found myself realizing the great need for congregations to be praying for their pastors, missionaries, and fellow believers.
The words of Colossians 4:2-6 would be wonderful words of prayer for congregations to pray for their leaders. The passage says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
This is a call to prayer. It’s encouraging us to pray for open doors and clarity of proclamation. And, it calls us to seek wisdom in our interactions with those outside the church. When was the last time that you prayed for your pastor to find open doors for the message and mystery of Christ and that he/she would proclaim that message clearly? When was the last time you prayed for wisdom in your interactions with “outsiders” and that your conversations would be “full of grace” and “seasoned with salt”?
In addition to praying that our church leaders would find open doors and the ability to proclaim the message clearly, I believe we need to pray that our church leaders would embrace the lifestyle spelled out in the passage I wrote about last night (1 Timothy 3; 2 Timothy 2:14-26; Titus 1:5-16).
But, this isn’t just about “lay people” praying for pastors and leaders…It’s also about pastors and leaders praying for each other and the congregation. By the way, does anyone else think the term “lay people” is offensive? Maybe I’ll write about my struggles/issues with the titles we use in the church…
Anyway, let’s join in praying for one another today and every day.