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SEVEN REWARDS FOR PRAYER PARTNERS
Becoming a pastor's prayer partner team member is a gift you
give others. It is a biblical principle that God blesses givers,
though. He does so as an expression of love for those who
pattern their lives after His character, which is ultimately
self-giving. While not making them our motive for prayer
partnering with others, God's rewards to praying people are
causes for celebration 1. Delight in seeing others blessed. Have you ever given someone a gift just for the sheer joy of seeing their happy reaction? Sometimes the satisfaction of seeing someone else's needs being met and their life being blessed is all the reward a person hopes for. 2. Trust with greater responsibilities. Maybe you have already noticed, but it seems to be a point in some of Jesus' parables that the reward for good work is more work (see Matthew 25:14-30, for example). God gives greater opportunities to those who are faithful in smaller tasks. 3. Seeing God empower your pastor. The best way to get a better pastor is to pray for the one you've got. It is pure enjoyment to participate in things that make a leader more Christlike, more Spirit-filled, more effective, and more victorious in their own walk with God and service for His kingdom. 4. Seeing God's will accomplished in your church. It is a reward to share the unity, experience the fellowship, feel the peace, know the love, and fulfill the dreams of a congregation that has come to desire God's best. Intercessors are one of the unsung heroes of this kind of growth most of the time, but their contribution is significant nonetheless. In fact, some of your greatest joys may come from seeing things happen in your church that you prayed for in secret and God reveals openly. 5. Seeing others grow closer to God. As a Pastor's Prayer Partner, you will undoubtedly pray often for unsaved people attending church services who are introduced to Jesus Christ; for carnal Christians who finally surrender to God in new, total commitment; for sick persons who are healed; for empty souls who are filled; for unchurched persons who come alive to God in Jesus Christ and enter into the love of His family. 6. Growing closer to God yourself. Intercessors spend more time seeking God than the average Christian. According to His own promise to draw close to those who draw close to Him (James 4:8), God will expand your love for Him and deepen your assurance of His love for you as you pray day by day. Praying for others will help you see ways to become more open and obedient to Him personally. Your relationship with the Father will mean more to you as you bring others into His presence in prayer. 7. The surprises waiting in heaven. Christians do not live just with a sense of the here and now. We live with an eye toward eternity and a longing to be with the Lord in heaven. Who can imagine what He has in store for those who humbly seek to please Him in this world? Concentrate your life on loving God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and on loving others as you love yourself. The Lord will prepare the place for you in His home that will satisfy you forever. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (North American Edition). copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. |