In I Thessalonians 5, Paul is closing out his letter by giving a practical list for Christian conduct. This isn’t out of the ordinary for Paul, he does this often in his letters. In I Thessalonians 5, his list includes things like rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, abstaining from evil, obeying the Spirit of God, etc. These practices seem elementary, but they are needful and it is good for us to be reminded of them. Toward the end of his list Paul adds something that I think can very easily be overlooked. It’s very simple, very direct, and very insightful.

“Brethren, pray for us.” - I Thessalonians 5:25

This is very simple and direct because there is not a lot of context given other than his asking the church at Thessalonica for prayer. It’s insightful because it serves to remind us that our spiritual leaders need prayer. This isn’t an isolated occurrence either.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me…” - Romans 15:30

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; withal praying also for us…” - Colossians 4:3-4

“You also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.” - II Corinthians 1:11

Paul asked and even leaned on the prayers of these local churches. The point stands that spiritual leaders are in need of prayer. This becomes very practical for us at Fellowship because we have a pastoral staff we can pray for! I thought about this in light of Pastor Tyler being on vacation the next couple of weeks. I wanted to show you from Scripture that praying for your pastoral staff is needful, but also some practical ways to do it. So I encourage you to intentionally pray for Pastor Tyler as he is away and to use some of these to help guide your prayer.

1. Pray for protection
The devil seeks to take away from the glory of God. He does this through infiltrating the church and ruining the testimonies of Christians. He, of course, attacks pastors too. Pray God would protect our pastor from any temptation or sinful thing that would harm the church or the testimony of Christ.

2. Pray for rest
Pastors work very hard to feed the church and carry the responsibility of the spiritual condition of the church. He doesn’t just study the Scripture, he wrestles with it. He doesn’t simply manage an office, but oversees the care of souls. He fights in the spiritual warfare we all fight in, but in battles that are unique to the position. So, this is a great time for us to pray for him to get rest. Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

3. Pray for rejuvenation
Ask God to use this time to help rejuvenate his soul. We all need a reset at some point. A time that allows us to be re-energized for the work in front of us. Pastor Tyler is no exception. Ask God to give him an excited, renewed, and refreshed spirit that he can come back with as he leads the church.

4. Pray for his time with God
Truly, we must all take care of our personal walks with God, but especially those who lead the church. We must pray for him as he spends time with the Lord this week. Pray God would richly bless his time in prayer and in the Scripture. Yes, he will get physical rest and rejuvenation; but the true protection, true rest, and true rejuvenation will ultimately come as an overflow from his time with the Lord. Let’s pray that these upcoming days for Pastor Tyler are an enriching time with God.

5. Pray for his family
God has given Pastor Tyler a wonderful family. A family who also needs prayer just as much as he does. Pray God would use this time to further bless and strengthen their marriage. Pray God would bless them with enjoyable moments and lasting memories.

Church family, God has blessed us greatly with Pastor Tyler. Let’s be faithful to steward this blessing by committing to praying for him!