I am married to a pastor.
I also happen to be friends with many pastors and their wives.
And one thing is very clear to me through our conversations -
Your pastor is under attack.
His family.
His faith.
His strength.
Satan will take whatever your pastor thinks he is good at, and he will pick at it until your pastor no longer has any part of his job that he feels capable of doing.
First Satan will make your pastor question his abilities.
Then he will make your pastor question his place in the community.
Then he will make your pastor question his role in his family.
Then he will make your pastor question his faith.
He will pick, pick, pick, pick, pick like the most annoying of little brothers.
A little poke here...a bigger poke there.
Your pastor needs a vacation just as much as anyone else. He takes a vacation, but without a doubt, a death or hospitalization will delay or cancel his plans. Satan says, "Oh, you are tired? You need a little break? Well, let's see what I can do about that..." There's a little poke.
Your pastor thinks he has a great sermon written, and he planned and read and studied. Sunday comes and the delivery doesn't go the way he thought it would - something doesn't click. Satan says, "Yeah, you thought you were pretty good at this preaching thing, didn't you? You are so prideful. God doesn't love pride. God hates pride. God hates you." There's another poke.
Your pastor struggles to find the most gracious and loving way to explain closed communion to a visitor, and then watches that person storm out of church before even joining for a moment. Satan says, "You can't grow this church. Look at you. That person just left. You failed God." Poke.
Your pastor has given of his time and energy repeatedly to a lost sheep, and then he receives a letter about their intent to take their names off the membership. Satan says, "Yeah, I got another one. Me - 1. You - 0." Poke.
Your pastor tries to be a "normal guy" and talk about enjoying a beer during the game, and then he finds out that a wayward member thinks he's a drunk. Satan says, "Well, aren't you? I mean, you did have one beer three weeks ago..." I don't think I need to say it, but...POKE!
Satan will wear your pastor down with his shear focus.
And on what is Satan's focus set?
On making your pastor know he is not capable of being a shepherd to the people God gave him.
Because if he can get the shepherd, the sheep are just waiting to be devoured.
You see, there are no jobs comparable to that of being a pastor. There are many reasons for this, but I think the biggest is because Satan is literally battling against faithful pastors.
He already had his chance with THE SHEPHERD, and he lost in the most humiliating of ways. So, now he turns his focus onto the weaker undershepherds - the ones who are full of their own sin and guilt, the ones who know better than anyone what they have done wrong, the ones who are charged to preach the Law and Gospel to others while deeply needing it preached to them.
If Satan is not battling against your pastor, you should find yourself a new pastor.
In some careers, Satan will give a lot for a person to succeed. He wants to give people a reason to believe they don't need a Savior.
As a faithful pastor, Satan wants nothing but failure and despair.
So, what can you do?
You can pray for your pastor.
For his family.
For his faith.
For his strength.
You can speak well of your pastor.
Of his family.
Of his faith.
Of his strength.
Your faithful pastor needs you. He needs your prayers and your presence.
There is no doubt in my mind -
Your pastor will fail you at some point.
He may be on vacation when you need him.
He may flop on a sermon.
He may speak unlovingly to someone.
He may lose track of a lost sheep.
He may have one too many drinks.
When he does this, remember what he told you in that sermon the other day -
Christ takes on your sins,
Christ hangs on a cross for your guilt,
Christ is the fulfillment of every single law,
Christ sheds His blood for you,
Christ buries you with Him in Baptism,
Christ forgives you -
And say it right back to him. He needs to hear it.
