The Prayers of a Pastor’s Wife

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

You are a busy pastor’s wife with many concerns and responsibilities. You might be raising young
children, perhaps teaching them at home. Also, you might have a demanding job. You struggle to find time to
tackle the ever-growing laundry pile or to go to the grocery store, much less to make dinner every night.
There might be increasing ministry needs at your church which you want to fulfill but can’t fit into your
schedule. Even spending time reading a blog on The Focused Pastor might seem like a luxury! If you are
this ministry wife, please spend a few minutes reading about the desirability and impact of your prayers.

Your Heavenly Father Wants to Hear Your Prayers

Your prayers will give you the spiritual strength you need to accomplish your seemingly never-ending
tasks. In Philippians 4:5b-6, Paul writes that we are to offer prayers and supplications to our ever-
present Lord. “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (emphasis mine). The Lord
wants you to express your cares and concerns. He knows your needs anyway (see Matthew 6:32). Speak
to the Father. Your faith will grow when you see your petitions answered. Even small needs are included
in the “everything” in Philippians 4:6. Go ahead and come to your Lord with your cares and woes, your
concerns for your children, for the hurting souls in your church.

Just knowing that the Lord desires to hear from you will encourage you to talk to Him. I often speak my
prayers out loud when I’m driving around town. Nobody can hear me because my car windows are
always closed no matter the season! My heart sings when I lay my needs at my Heavenly Father’s feet, knowing that He wants to hear from His dear child.

Jesus Will Help You Pray

You may find yourself in the position of feeling so stressed and stretched that it’s hard to think of how to
pray or what to pray. Thankfully, Jesus gave us an example of how to pray. Recognize God the Father’s
holiness and power over all things. Ask Him for what might seem like small things. Approach Him with
the realization of your sin and your need to receive forgiveness and give forgiveness. Tell Him you need
help for the hard times which will come. In other words, follow the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer
(Matthew 6:9-13). Knowing that “Christ Jesus…is interceding for us” gives confidence that our simple or
weak prayers are offered to God the Father by the one “who is at the right hand of God” (Romans 8:34).
You have a Savior Who brings your prayers before the throne of God the Father.

The Holy Spirit Will Help You Pray

The Holy Spirit enables you to pray with His power. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we
do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too
deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). What does this passage mean?
It means that the indwelling Spirit is working to fulfill the will of the Father through your prayers. Don’t
worry about offering up composed prayers, suitable for public use. Express your heart needs. You might
say, “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer…I call to you when my heart is faint…” (Psalm 61:1-2). The
Holy Spirit will carry your prayers to the Father.

The Lord Blesses You When You Pray

The pastor’s wife is blessed when she keeps up an on-going conversation with her loving, generous God.
Her heart becomes tuned to gratefulness for all the benefits she experiences. I know from personal
experience that staying alert to “God gifts” lifts my spirit. You have the abiding promise in Philippians
4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart[s] and your mind[s]
in Christ Jesus.”

I have a bird feeder and bird bath right outside my window. I love watching birds (and squirrels!) stop by
multiple times a day. Each one is cared for by my heavenly Father. Jesus compares the provision of the
needs of the birds with how much He takes care of your needs. He asks, “Are you not of more value than
they?” Later, He reminds you that “your heavenly Father knows that you need them all” (Matthew 6:26,
32). Every day I look outside and see an example of how much the Lord cares for small creatures, yet so
much more for me. I am blessed when I ask Him to meet my needs.

Your Prayers are Important in the Life of Your Church

The wife of the pastor/teaching elder has the vital role of supporting her husband’s ministry by praying
for him. More than anyone else, you know his needs. You know his worries. You know his areas of
weakness. His desires for your church are no secret to you. You know when he is discouraged or burdened by the ministry. You know when he is facing opposition. Even Paul, the apostle, requested prayer for boldness
to preach (Ephesians 6:18-20). He encouraged his dear friends in Philippi that their prayers will help to
deliver him (Philippians 1:19, see also Romans 15:30-31). This is your mandate to pray for your husband
as he labors to serve the church. Your husband will be grateful to know that his dear wife is his helper by
praying for his soul and for the work he does for the Lord.

Pray Regularly with Your Husband

Encourage your husband by praying together with him. My husband and I did not pray together very
often until a crisis in our church drove us to desperate prayer. At that time, my husband would come
home from long meetings and we would talk over the concerns we shared. We realized that we needed
to seek the Lord’s help together. That practice began thirty-five years ago and has carried on until now.

Praying together builds spiritual bonds which have only grown stronger over the years. Not many nights
go by when we don’t pray together. We never run out of prayer topics! We have church members who
are ill or suffering. And we pray for couples we counsel together. Our missionaries faithfully provide prayer
letters which guide us. When we offer our requests to God, we shift our focus to what He can do. We
are reminded that the needy people around us are God’s sheep and He will care for them.

Conclusion

Be encouraged, sister, to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God…” (Hebrews 13:15) Your
heavenly Father desires to hear from you. God the Son and God the Holy Spirit will help you. You will
experience countless blessings. Know that your prayers are vital to the life of your church and especially
to your husband. Your private, unseen prayers are used by God to help you, your husband, and your
church.

© 2025, Caroline Newheiser. All rights reserved. Used by Permission.