“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”—1 Timothy 2:1-3 (NLT)
I always pray and ask God for wisdom on what to write each week. Until Saturday evening, I had nearly finished it. However, at church, I was convicted to write about something else. We had a guest speaker talking about the history of the term blood of the lamb and Palm Sunday. While it was an excellent sermon, this isn’t what prompted this post. At the end, he asked for the congregation to be praying for our church leaders in preparation for Easter Sunday services.
I don’t think I have ever dedicated a post to specifically pray for our church leaders’ preparations for holidays where they are inundated with unchurched people. I know before I had truly accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior the only days I made sure I went to church were on Christmas and Easter. In all honesty, I probably didn’t really listen to the message either.
Currently, I go to a larger nondenominational church. Between Wednesday and Sunday, across three different campuses, there will be 18 church services. Not only is that A LOT of preparation for them, but a huge opportunity for them to minister to lost and broken souls, searching to fill an empty space that only Jesus can fill.
As church members, not only can we be praying for the pastors, worship team and all the staff that make church happen, but we can also (if able) not only volunteer but invite someone to an Easter service. Since I am part of larger church, they have signs for us to put in our yard as well as cards we can pass out to people in the community. I try and attach an invite card to a knit gift when I invited someone.
Depending on who it is, that may not always be possible, but I can give them a card inviting them to attend. As I hand it to them, I silently pray for their heart to be pricked. They may throw the invite in the trash, but that is between them and God. All I can do is be obedient if the Holy Spirit has nudged me to invite them. As the body of Christ, we ask for courage to boldly share Jesus.
For our pastors, worship team and staff we can pray for them to boldly proclaim God’s truth of salvation being found in no one else but Jesus. Ask for the Holy Spirit to empower them to preach sound doctrine without fear of being cancelled. Prayers for them to faithfully fulfill their calling. Pastors are the prime target for criticism and opposition. I can only imagine how discouraging that can be for them. We can pray for God to give them wisdom, strength, and endurance. These are all things we can also pray for them all year long.
As I mentioned, if you can volunteer, that is another way to support your church staff. Being a greeter, usher or serving coffee, may not seem like much, but your warm and welcome smile can be exactly what softens the heart of someone to listen to the message being preached. You never know how God can use you to bring someone closer to Jesus.
Father God,
I give You thanks for leading me to a church where leaders are preaching Biblically sound doctrine. I pray for church leaders, staff, and worship teams around the world as they prepare for Resurrection Sunday. Pour into them, so they can pour into us. May they stay true to Your Message and Your Word. I pray for the unchurched to be led to an Easter service where they will experience Your Presence. Remove the scales from their eyes to see the truth of the Gospel. May lost souls find hope in Jesus. Use me this week to be a beacon of light in someone’s dark day. I pray these things in the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
March Verse
“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.”—Proverbs 18:15
If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.