Morning By Morning #189

Pray for us.

1 Thessalonians 5:25

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

This morning I wish to remind you of the importance of praying for ministers of the gospel. Our verse today is a fervent request from the apostle Paul—one which I echo and implore every Christian household to observe today.

Christian brothers and sisters, a minister’s work is solemn and momentous, involving spiritual wellness or woe to thousands, for we “treat” souls for God, dealing in His eternal business, and our words are “the fragrance of life” to some or “the smell of death” (2 Cor. 2:16) to others. A very heavy responsibility rests upon us and it will be no small mercy if we are ultimately found “innocent of the blood of all men” (Acts 20:26). As officers in Christ’s army, we are a special target of the hatred of men and demons, for they carefully watch for any slip on our part and work diligently to make us stumble.

Our calling brings with it temptations from which others are exempt, and that calling all too often draws us away from our personal enjoyment of God’s truth and into a ministerial and official consideration of it instead. We deal with many complicated situations, sometimes coming to our wits’ end or becoming confused ourselves. We observe very sad episodes of backsliding among our people, wounding our hearts; and we see millions perishing without the gospel, and our spirits sink as a result. We desire that you would profit from our preaching, that we would be a blessing to your children, and that we would be useful to saints and sinners alike for many years to come.

Therefore, dear friends, intercede for us with God. We would be miserable indeed without the help of your prayers, but are happy when we know of your intercession for us. Although you do not look to us, but to our Master, for spiritual blessings, consider how often He has given those blessings through His ministers. Pray again and again that we may be the earthen vessels into whom the Lord may place the treasure of the gospel. We—the entirety of ministers, missionaries, evangelists, and Bible students—implore you in the name of Jesus:

“Pray for us”!

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

The calling to be a minister is a special blessing, but it can often be frustrating. Many ministers become discouraged due to the lack of spiritual growth they see in people. We can only imagine how Jeremiah must have felt when the Lord told him, “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer” (Jer. 7:27). And the people themselves were amazingly bold in their defiance, for they told Jeremiah, “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD!” (Jer. 44:16).

Paul even asked, “Who is equal to such a task?” (2 Cor. 2:16). Yet he went on to say, “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God” (2 Cor. 2:17).

With so many preaching for personal gain today, those ministers speaking “with sincerity” need our prayers more than ever. Why not take time this morning to pray for the ministers who have given of themselves to you?