30 Jun July 26 – Daily Devotional

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE BOOK OF HEBREWS

HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR PASTOR

Hebrews 13:17 “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.”

“Keep watch” has in mind a military sentry.  While all the soldiers are asleep out of sheer exhaustion, no long able to engage in battle, the sentry remains awake, alert, on guard to protect all of the soldiers under his watch.  Sentry duty is so critical that military law says if a sentry, while on duty, is found asleep he can be put to death.

Your Pastor is to keep watch over you spiritually. Luke writes in Acts 20:28, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with his own blood.”  This begins with him putting you into his daily prayers, lifting you and your needs to God almighty.  It includes visiting you to strengthen you with God’s word and the Lord’s Supper when you are ill, hospitalized, injured, or dealing with difficult challenges.  He is to assure you of God’s love for you in Christ, His forgiveness of your sins through the shed blood of Jesus, and that you have an eternal home with the Triune God, the saints and all the angels of heaven.

Having such a confidence in your pastor gives him joy in his service.  It lifts up his spirits, especially when he is carrying the burdens of many within the congregation at a given moment.  It encourages him to be faithful in speaking God’s word in its truth and purity, especially when that word is difficult, but necessary for people to hear.

Your pastor is accountable to God to be faithful in preaching and teaching His word, administering the sacraments, praying for the people of his ministry, counseling and encouraging.  Your confidence in he doing this supports him so that he can with joy serve you and all of God’s people.  He and you form one body, the body of Christ, with each member of the body carrying out its role.

Prayer:  I pray Almighty Father for my pastor, that You fill Him with Your Spirit equipping him with Your Word and the Sacraments to feed me and all the people to whom he ministers that all under his ministry by Your Spirit’s power are kept steadfast in the true faith to life everlasting.  Amen.

God of the prophets, bless the prophets’ sons;

Elijah’s mantle o’er Elisha cast.

Each age its solemn task may claim but once;

Make each one nobler, stronger than the last.

Anoint them prophets, men who are intent

To be Your witnesses in word and deed,

Their hearts aflame, their lips made eloquent,

Their eyes awake to ev’ry human need.

Anoint them priests, strong intercessors they,

For pardon and for love and hope and peace,

That, through their pleading, guilty sinners may

Find Jesus’ mercy and from sin release.

Anoint them kings, yes, kingly kings, O Lord,

Anoint them with the Spirit of Your Son.

Theirs not a jeweled crown, a blood-stained sword;

Theirs, by sweet love, for Christ a kingdom won.

Make them apostles, heralds of Your cross;

Forth let them go to tell the world of grace.

Inspired by You, may they count all but loss

And stand at last with joy before Your face.

(LSB 682)