31 Days of Praying for Your Pastor – Day 1

For the next thirty-one days, I am going to post a specific prayer that you can make in behalf of your pastor (and for all the elders of your church, for that matter). This material comes from a pamphlet being distributed at our church. It is by Nancy Leigh DeMoss of Revive Our Hearts.

The following quote accompanies this material:

“It is at a fearful expense that ministers are ever allowed to enter the pulpit without being preceded, accompanied, and followed by the earnest prayers of the churches. It is no marvel that the pulpit is so powerless, and ministers so often disheartened when there are so few to hold up their hands. …When the churches cease to pray for ministers, ministers will no longer be a blessing to the churches.” – Gardiner Spring (1785-1873)

DeMoss says, “Pastors cannot win the battle alone; they need committed intercessors to lift them up in fervent, specific prayer.”

Won’t you commit to pray for your pastor for the month of October?

DAY 1:
Pray that your pastor will love God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. Pray that God’s Spirit will work in his heart in power and that he will value and follow biblical priorities.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deut. 6:5

Does God Allow or Does God Cause?

Do you see any difference between the following two statements:

1. God causes all things to work together for good

2. All things work together for good

Maybe it’s just me, but the second one almost gives the impression that God is more in the role of being a reactionary than the first cause; that He observes/knows what is going to take place, and then uses those events to His favor to work things for the good of those that love Him. Of course I realize as well that the first statement may seem awfully deterministic to some people; giving the impression that God directly causes every event in the life of His sheep, good or bad…happy or tragic, ultimately working them for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purpose.

So, which is it? Does God allow certain things to enter into the life of someone (like sickness, struggles, tragedy, etc.) and then work them for good..or does He actually cause them? The truth is, I really don’t know how to exactly draw the line and differentiate between the two positions. All I can do is provide some biblical examples and say, ‘Ponder these examples in Scripture.” So, ponder these passages…

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. – John 9:1-3

It appears to me that this man was born blind specifically for this very moment of healing…to glorify God. In other words, God caused the man to be born blind so that Jesus could heal him and so that His power might be displayed.

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, Lord, he whom you love is ill. But when Jesus heard it he said, This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. – John 11:1-6

Again, we have the words of Christ implying that Lazarus will die specifically so that God will be glorified. In fact, when told of Lazarus’ illness, He makes no attempt to even come to him, let alone heal him, but instead waits around for a couple of days before going to Lazarus. Now, did God see that Lazarus was going to get sick and die, and decided to use that for His glory, or did He cause Lazarus to get sick and die so that He could display His glory?

Finally, consider the words of Job regarding what happened to him:

ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. – Job 12:7-10

So, which is it? Does God allow, or does God cause?