Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Praying for the Preacher’s Boldness

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 30 Num. 5
“Praying for the Preacher’s Boldness”

Last week, we continued our look at Ephesians 6:19-20 where Paul details a list of seven prayer requests for preachers. We have now reviewed the first six of those seven directions: (1) Christians are to faithfully intercede for ministers; (2) Christians are to pray for their ministers’ consistency in heralding the word of God; (3) Christian are to pray for their ministers to be given a divine supply of truth; (4) Christians are to pray for the fear of God in their ministers; (5) Christians are to pray for their ministers to make known the mystery of the Gospel; (6) Christians are to pray for their ministers’ endurance under tribulation. This week we conclude with a look at the seventh request.

7. Christians are to pray for their ministers’ fearless declaration of the Gospel. Finally, Paul asks that we pray “that I would declare it fearlessly (boldly), as I should.” Here, we are reminded of the minister’s need for holy boldness. The preacher is speaking a message with eternal consequences. He must speak “as a dying man to dying men.” For this he needs spiritual boldness. So, if we want to intercede for our ministers, we would do well to implore God to make them fearless in proclamation.
In Edinburgh, Scotland on Saturday nights from 7:30 to 9:30 a small band of faithful church members/prayer warriors gathers in the church hall of Holyrood Abbey Church. There they intercede for the evangelical ministers and missionaries of their denomination supported by their church. Thus, if your are a minister of the Gospel and your name is on the prayer board of Holyrood Church, you know when you climb the pulpit steps next morning that you are not alone and you are not without the prayers of the saints. What a comfort to know the surrounding of the prayers of the saints.
Who knows what blessings the Lord will rain down if we seek His face in prayer for His servants: for the campus ministers who preach to our collegians, for the pastors that mount our pulpits, for the missionaries who preach the Word in far countries, for youth ministers who herald the gospel to our children, for the seminarians whose ministry is before them, for the seminary professors who are entrusted with crafting ministers of the Gospel. Let’s all determine to be in prayer for the all the ministers of the Church, and to pray for them biblically.

Your friend,



Ligon Duncan