A Pastor’s Prayer Closet

When the Public Outpaces the Private

Pastors are constantly leading others in prayer:

• Opening services
• Praying over meals and meetings
• Closing sermons with appeals
• Visiting hospitals with folded hands
• Interceding at bedsides, gravesides, and conference tables

But here’s the painful truth: many pastors are guiding others into prayer while quietly neglecting their own private time with God.

According to a recent study reported by Baptist Press, only 18 percent of pastors are “very satisfied” with their personal prayer lives, and 72 percent admit to feeling inconsistent or unsatisfied in that area.

That means the majority of spiritual shepherds are leading congregations without consistently retreating to the Shepherd themselves. Continue Reading……