Pray Like It’s Your Job

• Posted on sdgale
• in 'CHOP Talk' Blog
• on February 25, 2013
• Comments Off on Pray Like It’s Your Job

I just returned from a conference.  I traveled by air.  Boarding the plane to get there, I found my assigned seat.  A woman was already in place in my row and at work on her laptop.  I noticed she was busy filling in data for a spreadsheet.  It intrigued me that she was eager to make use of even her travel time to be productive for her job.

As she labored on her laptop, I pulled out the prayer list from my pocket, ready to make good use of the time in praying for my congregation and for a bevy of other matters.  Then it struck me.  As she was eager to make use of even her travel time to be productive for her job, so was I.

You’re probably thinking, “You make it sound like prayer is your job.”  Well, it is!  A pastor has the job responsibility of praying.  He is the first pray-er of his church.  The elders, too, are given the job of praying.  This is a chief way by which they shepherd the flock under their care.  Not to pray would be dereliction of duty.

The denomination of which I am a part has a standard form churches fill out when seeking applicants for pastoral positions.  One part of the form is entitled “Congregational Priorities.”  It includes areas like worship, preaching, visitation, counseling, evangelism and administration, 22 different areas in all.  For each of these priorities, the church specifies how important it is by rating it zero, for not important, to four, for most important.

Prayer is not on that list.

Something is amiss.  Even though the Scriptures identify prayer as a major area of responsibility for the shepherd (Acts 6:4), even though prayerlessness on the part of leaders is couched in terms of “sin” (1 Sam. 12:23), even though Paul illustrated the urgency of prayer as part of his pastoral role (e.g., Col. 1:9, 2 Thess. 1:11), prayer doesn’t make the list.

A pastor is called to pray.  If I could put it crassly, a pastor is paid to pray.  Prayer is not an accessory to his job.  It is the beating heart of his job.

On top of that, he is to equip, encourage and engage the flock under his care in prayer.  Most people do not get paid to pray, but prayer is still their “volunteer” job.  They are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).  Prayer is not just about them.  It’s about the work of the church and the advancement of the kingdom.  The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 makes that clear.

The pastor needs to pray like it’s his job—because it is.  The people need to pray like it’s their job—because it is.  A job requires showing up and faithful discharge of responsibilities.  Perhaps the prayer closet of Matthew 6:6 should include a little sign: “On Duty.”

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(To help instruct and involve the congregation in prayer, see my Basics of the Faith booklet, Why Do We Pray?)