(Based on A.W. Tozer’s Prayer 1897-1963)
O Lord, Pastor Steve Cioccolanti has heard your voice, and the fear of God is before his eyes. You have called Pastor Steve to an awesome task, in a grave and perilous hour. You are about to shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land, all nations and Israel, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain (Haggai 2:6, 21, Heb 12:26).
O Lord, our Lord, You have stooped to honor Pastor Steve to be Your servant. No man takes this honor upon himself except he who is called of God, just like Aaron was. You have ordained Pastor Steve to be Your messenger, to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected You the Master, and it is not expected that they will receive Pastor Steve, Your servant. Dear Lord, our Pastor shall not waste time deploring his weakness nor his inadequacy for the task. The responsibility is not Pastor Steve’s, but Yours.
Father, You said, “Before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations (Jer 1:5, 1 Cor 1:30, 2 Cor 1:21).” You also said, “I will put My words in your mouth, and you shall speak all that I command you (Deut 18:18) and again, “You shall go to all that I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak (Jer 1:7).” Who is Pastor Steve to argue with You? You chose Pastor Steve; he did not choose you. You appointed Pastor Steve that he should go and bear fruit, and that his fruit should remain (John 15:16). The decision is not Pastor Steve’s, but Yours. Your will, not his, be done.
It is time for You to work, Lord, for the enemy has entered Your pastures and the sheep are torn and scattered. False shepherds abound, who deny the danger, and laugh at the perils that surround the flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty, while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. We beseech You, Lord, please give Pastor Steve eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give him understanding to distinguish the false friend from the true. Give him vision to see, and courage to report what he sees faithfully. Make his voice so much like Your voice, that even the sick sheep will recognize it and follow You.
Lord Jesus, Pastor Steve comes to You for spiritual preparation. Lay Your hand on Pastor Steve. Anoint him with the oil of a New Testament prophet. Forbid that he should become a religious scribe and lose his dependence on the Holy Spirit. Save him from the curse that lies across the face of the modern clergy: the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save him from judging a church by its size, its popularity, or its offering. Help him to remember that he is a prophet and not a ministry promoter, a prophet and not a man-pleaser. Let him never become a slave to the crowds, or ministry demands or endless emails. Heal his soul of earthly ambitions and deliver him from the itch of publicity or public attention. Save him from the bondage to material things. Let him not waste time puttering around the house. Lay Your terror on him and drive him to the place of prayer where he may wrestle with principalities and powers, and the rulers of darkness of this age (Eph 6:12, 3:10). Deliver him from overeating or oversleeping. Teach him self-discipline, that he may endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Tim 2:3).
Pastor Steve accepts hard work and small rewards in this life. He asks for no easy place. He denies himself, takes up his cross daily, and follows You (Luke 9:23). He shall try and be blind to the things that could make life easier. If others seek a smooth path, he will not judge them. He shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes, trusting in Your grace. And if he should have grateful gifts pressed upon him, stand by him then, and save him from the strings attached and undue obligations that so often follow. And if, in Your permissive will, honor should come to him from Your church, let him not forget in that hour that he is unworthy of the least of Your mercies, and if men knew him as intimately as he knows himself, they would withhold their honors and bestow them on others more worthy to receive them.
And now, O Lord of Heaven and earth, Pastor Steve consecrates his remaining days to You. Let them be many and not few (Psalm 91:16, Deut 6:20, Prov 3:2). Let him stand before kings and rulers as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles (Prov 22:29, Matt 10:18, Luke 211:12); and let him minister to the poor and lowly (Matt 25:40,45, Gal 2:10, James 2:1-4), that he may diffuse the fragrance of Christ in every place (2 Cor 2:15). He is Your servant to do Your will, and Your will is sweeter to him than position, riches or fame, and he chooses it above all things in Heaven and earth. Though he is chosen by You and honored by a high and heavenly calling, let him never forget that he is a man with all the natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. We pray You therefore, our Lord and Redeemer, save him from himself, and from all the injuries that he may do to himself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill him with the power of the Holy Spirit, and he will go in Your strength and tell of Your righteousness, and Yours alone. He will spread abroad the story of redeeming love while his mortal powers endure.
Then, dear Lord, when Pastor Steve is old, have a place ready for him above, and make him to be numbered with Your saints in everlasting glory, in Jesus’ Name we pray.