Intercession for Leaders
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Leaders need to pray, and be prayed for.Clearly leaders need to be men and women of prayer, spending quality time in prayer to become tuned in to where God is moving, to be able to respond to God's leading, and to develop their personal relationship with God. At the same time, Christian leaders are under greater and greater pressure as they minister in a context of rapid change in the basic structures of society, and within the church. Many Christian leaders suffer stress, marriage breakdown, and other problems. The personal prayer lives of leaders are likely to provide an insufficient base of prayer for their ministries to flourish. Our leaders need to be supported in prayer, by the church community, and by specific individuals whom God may be calling to intercede for them and for their ministry. |
| We would encourage all leaders to
spend quality time reflecting on their need for prayer support, and the degree to which
they are supported in prayer by their church or by other Christians. This may lead to a
realisation of a greater need for prayer support, and to asking the Lord to provide
intercessors who can "stand in the gap" on behalf of the leader, (Ezekiel 22:30)
to present their needs and ministry before the Lord. Asking for prayer support is not
easy. It requires us to admit that we are not self sufficient, and may involve sharing our
weaknesses with others for prayer. Yet it is biblical. Paul makes a number of requests for
churches to pray for him and his ministry. Building up effective relationships with intercessors is not easy. Like any relationship it takes time to establish the openness necessary to tackle the real needs for prayer. See our "Firm Foundations" module which gives some guidelines on recruiting and working with personal intercessors. |
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