Praying for my pastors

Quiet your heart before the Lord. Ask for wisdom to know how to pray for your pastors. As you pray, insert the name of your pastors into this prayer.

Father, today I come before You with gratitude in my heart for the shepherds that you have placed over my church community. Thank You for our pastors (pause before the Lord and give thanks for the shepherds that God has placed over your community of faith).

May faith rise up in them that they might trust You for Your work to be accomplished in and through them. Fill them, with all joy and peace. May they overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and be encouraged to trust You for the things that they have not yet seen come to pass.

I ask that You fill them with the knowledge of Your will for our community of faith and give them spiritual wisdom, insight and understanding. As they study Your Word, open their minds to ever-deeper truths. Please renew their minds.

I ask that in all things, they might be found worthy of their calling and please You in all that they do. May Jesus be glorified through their lives and our church community be strengthened by their example.

Lord Jesus Christ, I ask that lasting spiritual fruit be born out of our pastors’ lives. May the work of their hands be firmly established among us. Give them a sign of your goodness this day I pray, that those around them will know that Your favour rests on them, and their hearts be strengthened in faith.

Strengthen our pastors, with all power according to Your great might at work, so that their endurance and patience might increase, for they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. May we, the body of Christ called the Evangelical Church of Bangkok, follow and obey our pastors with joy.

In the midst of the burdens that they carry for Your church, encourage them with joy that they might overflow with thankfulness. May praise and worship be released from their hearts as a weapon of warfare, dispelling all unbelief, discouragement and weariness. Give them new songs to sing I pray.

Be the wall of fire around my pastors – protect them from the evil one- and be the glory within them. Awaken their hearts with a fresh out-pouring of the Holy Spirit and build Your church through them, I pray.

In Jesus’ Name I ask these things, with thanksgiving. Amen.

ECB is a biblical community…’   I ask that the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace increase among us. May we serve like Jesus and consider one another as more important than ourselves. May our hearts be knit together as one (Ephesians 4:3; Philippians 2:1-11). Pour out Your Holy Spirit on our families, strengthen marriage covenants and renew love and respect in our marriages (1 Peter 3:7; Ephesians 5:22-28)!

Father, I ask in Jesus’ name that the gifts of the Spirit be released among us and may the body of Christ be built-up and edified so that there is no lack among us (1 Corinthians 12:27).

‘…of the nations to the nations…’   How thankful I am for the privilege of worshiping with brothers and sisters from many lands. Thank You for this taste of heaven Lord! May we increasingly put aside cultural preferences. Unite us under the banner and cross of Christ. May the Word of God be our one true standard! Father, allow us the privilege of sowing into the nations represented among us! I ask that You give to us ‘godly sorrow’ that brings repentance and leaves no regret. May we no longer make excuses for our sin (‘I was brought-up this way…’, ‘My father was this way…’, ‘I’ve always been an angry person…’). Give us the gift of brokenness, humility and tears before You. Increase our hunger for holiness (2 Corinthians 7:10).

I ask that Your rule and reign be established over the nations of the world. Empower Your Church around the world to be salt and light – revive us, I pray. Encourage pastors, open spiritual doors that have been shut! Reveal Yourself to the peoples of the earth, that whole villages, towns – even cities would come to know You!

‘…with prayer and the Word of God as our foundation.’   You have said Lord, that Your house is to be a ‘house of prayer for all nations’. Teach us to pray at ECB, to really enter into a deeper longing for you – greater faith, greater fervency. Make us to be a true house of prayer (Mark 11:17) and may Your Word take up residence in our hearts and change the way that we live (Colossians 1:19).

May all cultural preferences represented among us that are contrary to Your Word, fall away. Unify us under the culture of Christ, I pray! May Your Word be the only standard for our lives! May we become doers of the Word and not just hearers. Change us by Your Word, and may it be the only standard for our living (James 1:22).

Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ at ECB – protect them from the evil one and may their hunger for Your Word and holiness increase (Pray for those you know by name…)!

‘…We are called to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ…’   Lord Jesus, be exalted among us as we gather and worship, as we meet in homes, at our places of work, school and play. Be exalted, be glorified in our conversations, in the choices that we make, and the places we go. Whether we eat or drink, or whatever it is that we might do, may we always be mindful that we belong to You, and do all things for Your glory alone (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Father, I ask that among us there would not be even a hint of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity or greed. For You have said that these things are improper for us because we belong to You. Strengthen marriage relationships – strengthen my single brothers and sisters I pray (Ephesians 5:3)! I ask Father, that You establish the spiritual work of our hands as a congregation and give us fruit that will last (Psalm 90:17; John 15:16)! May the harvest to come in!

‘…serve each other…’   Lord Jesus, teach us to follow Your example and serve one another. May we prefer one another out of love for You and serve one another with joy (John 13:1-5; Philippians 2:1-11)! I ask Lord, that You fill us, fill me, with a fresh determination to press on, to forget what is behind and strain towards what is ahead (Philippians 3:12-13).

Father, may we enter into deeper fellowship and community through the ministry of LIFE Groups, and be unified by Your Spirit. I pray for my brothers and sisters Father, and ask that they might be encouraged (Pray for those in your Life Group by name).

Father, may we increasingly be those who give to You cheerfully. May all grace abound to us, so that in all things at all times, having all that we need, we might abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:7-8). May the light of Jesus be seen in our actions I pray.

‘…and reach the world.’   Jesus, You said that we are to make disciples of all nations – show us this way! Surely You have put us here in Bangkok at this point in time for Your plans and purposes – may we as Your people enter in with joy to all that You have for us. Increase the harvest among us! May many come to Jesus! And yes Lord, give us the nations (Matthew 28:19)!

Father, make me hungry for Your Word! Prepare the soil of my heart to receive the message that You have for me tomorrow, and may we as Your people, have ears to hear what Your Spirit would say to us. May those who lead us in worship be empowered by Your Spirit, those who come tomorrow who do not yet know You, be drawn to You, and O God, pour out Your Holy Spirit on us! Renew us! Revive us! Change us!

Revive the hearts of Your people across this city, I pray. Breathe the life of Your Spirit into dead places, into dry bones, that Your Church in Bangkok may rise up as a mighty army – that the world may know that You alone are God (Ezekiel 37:4-14)! Pour out Your Spirit on the ECB campus, hem us in with Your presence. Be the wall of fire around us and the glory within us (Zechariah 2:5).