The Chinese version is after the English one.
中文版本在英文版本下。
We’re going to use Psalm 23, which is quite familiar to all, to bless the preachers and church leaders. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. We claim that we lack nothing, doesn’t mean that we are perfect. The truth is the other way round, every time we claim that we are weak, the Big Shepherd will make us strong. When a child always says “I am full!” His mom won’t force him to eat, and he will become thin and weak. But whenever he says “I am hungry!” His mom will feed him with nutritious food.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
They comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely Your goodness and love will follow me
All the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Dear Lord,
Please make our preachers and church leaders lie down in your green pastures, having a feast like buffet everyday in all kinds of abundance in You. How amazing it is for the sheep to turn green grass into proteins, fats, milk and wool. Dear Lord, feed them with your Words, your own voice, your presence around them, turn every miracle, every trial, every kind word, every reminder from mistakes etc, into love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Make them satisfied with who they are, and what they have. Teach them to put all their needs in prayers.
Lead them beside quiet waters. We do not pray that they are not busy at all, because that will keep the small sheep hungry. But we pray that they do rest in their souls. Pray that they are not too busy to feed but forget to be fed. Many preachers in the world are in financial stress. Some may be struggling with family issues. Some may be suffering to different extents because of doing the right thing, or even being persecuted. Dear Lord, lead them beside quiet waters, a place where tree leaves do not wither, and streams of living water will flow from within them.
Dear Lord, please restore their souls. For You are faithful, every morning is new. And You never stop creating. Give them a new soul, like a pottery that contains the flesh and blood of Jesus. Guide them in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Whenever they turn to the right or to the left, their ears will hear a voice behind them saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Dear Holy Spirit, speak to their souls.
It is not hard to imagine, in view of Satan, it is strategically correct to attack and tempt the preachers and church leaders, because it is cost effective. In Jesus name we ask for full coverage of Jesus’ blood for them. Even though they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, they will fear no evil, for You are with them. There may be times they burn out. There may be heavy work loads. There may be competition, troubles, or hurts among people. There may be times of sorrow. There may be times of shame. There may be temptation that they dare not tell anyone. There may be times that loneliness prevails in their mind in the middle of a crowd. There may be times of disappointment with people, and God. Dear Lord, You allow all these to happen. You sow Your seeds in darkness. May the seeds in Your servant grow and yield.
Dear Lord, we humans doubt. We fail. We disappoint You. We are sometimes too self-loving yet sometimes not taking good care of our own body and soul. We are sometimes prompted to fall into temptation. We sometimes lost directions. We pray that Your rod and Your staff will hook our pastors and church leaders back to Your way. Whenever they are scared, lost, and weary, they are comforted.
We pray that preachers and church leaders are assured of a table before them in the presence of the enemies. They may have heard voices like, “You’ve sacrificed so much, but what do you get in return?” Or “Your work seemed in vain, nothing has changed because of what you‘ve done.” Or “You are left alone, no one cares about what is said by you.” In Jesus’s name we condemn and denounce these lies! Dear Lord, let them literally see Your glory and pleasure on the table of feast, right in front of the liar.
In Jesus’s name we pray that You anoint our preachers and church leaders’ heads with oil. Release Your spiritual gifts, consolidate their authority in Your Kingdom, so that they will release Your power from heaven to earth. Overflow their cups. Free their hearts in Your truth. Let their hearts be swollen with joy through their service.
In Jesus’ name we bless them, surely goodness and love will follow them all the days of their life, and they will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
Photo Credit: Raymond Wong
為牧者及教會領袖禱告(1)
今次，我們將使用大家都很熟悉的詩篇23篇，為傳道人和教會領袖禱告。耶和華是我的牧者，我必不致缺乏。我們宣稱我們一無所缺，並不意味著我們是完美的。事實恰恰相反，每當我們宣稱自己軟弱時，大牧者就會使我們剛強。當一個孩子明明需要營養，卻總是說「我吃飽了！」他媽媽不會勉強他吃東西，他就瘦弱了。但每當他說「我餓了！」他媽媽就給他有營養的食物餵養他。
耶和華是我的牧者，我必不致缺乏。
祂使我躺臥在青草地上，
領我在可安歇的水邊。
祂使我的靈魂甦醒，
為自己的名引導我走義路。
我雖然行過死蔭的幽谷，
也必不怕遭害，
因為祢與我同在。
你的杖、你的竿，
都安慰我。
在我敵人面前，
祢為我擺設筵席。
祢的油膏了我的頭；
使我的福杯滿溢。
我一生一世必有恩惠慈愛追隨著我，
我且要住在耶和華的殿中，
直到永遠。
親愛的主，
求祢使我們的傳道人和教會領袖躺在祢的青草地上，每天在你的豐盛裡飽餐，如同自助餐一般。羊把綠草轉化為蛋白質、脂肪、奶和羊毛，這是多麼奇妙的事。親愛的主，求祢用祢的話語，祢的聲音，祢的同在，用每一個奇蹟、每一次試煉、每一句友好的話、每一次提醒等，都變成仁愛、喜樂、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信實、溫柔和節制。讓他們對自己和所擁有的感到滿足。教導他們將所有的需求都交托在禱告中。
求祢引導他們在靜謐的水邊。我們並不祈求他們一點都不忙碌，因為這會讓小羊餓著。但我們祈求他們的靈魂能得到休息。祈求他們不要太忙於餵食而忘記自己需要被餵食。世界上許多傳道人都面臨財務壓力，有些人可能因家庭問題而苦惱，有些人可能因為做了正確的事情，甚至受到迫害。親愛的主，引導他們在寧靜的水邊，那裡樹葉不枯萎，活水將從他們內心湧流出來。
親愛的主，求祢甦醒他們的靈魂。祢是信實的，每一個早晨都是新的，祢永不停止創造。更新他們的靈魂，如同能披戴耶穌基督的陶器。為祢自己的名引導他們走義路。無論他們向左還是向右，他們總聽到背後有聲音說：「這是正路，要行在其中。」親愛的聖靈，求祢親自對他們的靈魂說話。
不難想像，在撒旦的角度而言，攻擊和引誘傳道人和教會領袖是最有效率的必然戰略。我們奉耶穌的名為他們祈求耶穌基督寶血的遮蓋。即使他們走過死蔭的幽谷，他們也不怕遭害，因為祢與他們同在。或許有時候他們會感到筋疲力竭；或許工作沉重得令他們透不過氣；或許在人的地方會有競爭、麻煩或傷害；或許有悲傷；或許有羞愧；或許正遇見難以啟齒的誘惑；或許身處人群，但仍感孤單；或許對人和神的失望…… 親愛的主，這一切都是祢允許發生的。祢在黑暗中撒下你的種子，願你僕人內心的種子生長並結果。
親愛的主，我們充滿各樣的限制，有時不信，有時跌倒，有時讓祢失望。有時候我們太愛自己，有時候卻不好好照顧自己的身體和靈魂。我們有時被誘惑所勝，有時迷失方向。我們祈求祢的杖和你的竿將我們的牧者和教會領袖重新引到祢的道路上。無論何時他們感到害怕、迷失和 疲乏，願他們得到安慰。
我們祈求祢在我們傳道人和教會領袖的仇敵面前，擺設歡慶的筵席。他們可能聽到像「你犧牲了那麼多，但你得到了什麼回報？」或「你的工作似乎是徒勞的，因為你所做的一切都沒有改變。」或「你不被重視，沒有人在乎你所說的話。」等等的聲音。我們奉耶穌的名粉碎這些謊言！親愛的主，讓他們真切地在筵席上看到你的榮耀和喜悅，就在說謊者的面前，讓牠們無處可站。
我們奉耶穌的名祈求，願你以油膏我們的傳道人和教會領袖的頭。釋放祢的屬靈恩賜，鞏固他們在你的國度中的權柄，使他們能夠從天堂釋放你的能力到地上。求祢使他們的福杯滿溢。求在祢的真理中釋放他們的心靈，讓他們在事奉中心懷喜悅。
我們奉耶穌的名祝福他們，恩惠和愛必一生一世追隨著他們，他們將永遠住在主的殿中。
我們奉耶穌的名祈禱。阿門。
照片提供：Raymond Wong