“Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man [whom] thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” (Ps 80:17-19 AV)
This psalm is Asaph’s prayer for the people and their king. Three times he uses the phrase, “and we shall be saved.” The previous two times he uses it, Asaph states that if God turns them, they shall be saved. He is referring to stirring God’s people to obedience and faith when neither comes naturally. This last time Asaph ends a verse with these words; the context is David. Asaph is praying for his king, that God would lead him and make him strong. Can I admit something to you? A leader, who is supposed to be strong, rarely asks for prayers to that end. It makes him look weak. The preacher will seldom ask for prayer because he is supposed to be the rock that everyone else relies upon. He is supposed to concern himself with the needs and weaknesses of the flock. Rarely does he seek intervention for himself. Because he does not, he may be the one who needs prayer the most, yet receives the least. Asaph knows that if the people do not pray for their leader, they will all feel the consequences. Sometimes, the health of the body is contingent on the health of the leader.
I was reminded recently of a Army doctor who suffered post-traumatic stress while still on the field. It was during a war many years ago where the casualties were particularly gruesome and frequent. It was modern warfare, where much damage to the human body was the result. This army doctor, a surgeon, was the best in his unit. He was particularly successful. When he operated on a serviceman wounded in battle, they usually made it. By a wide margin. It was not out of the ordinary for this surgeon to work non-stop for several days. He would go without sleep, nourishment, or a break. It was at one of those longer battles wherein he could not sleep. As soon a wave of casualties was processed, he would lay down for sleep. It wouldn’t be but a bit longer before more casualties came in. He arose and went to the OR. He did this for 96 hours before there was a lull in the battle. It wasn’t that they couldn’t do without him for a shift or two. Being the chief surgeon, he felt compelled to put his own needs last. The wounded had greater needs than his own. As a result, his skills began to wane. It wasn’t until he almost lost a warrior on the table that he finally realized he needed some rest.
Your preacher will not be transparent with you. He may be with his colleagues, but not with you. Don’t take it personally. He feels he needs to lead you and give you strength. What he is reticent about is to ask for prayer for himself. Note here that Asaph does not wait until David asks for prayer. He doesn’t wait until it is painfully obvious that he needs serious intervention. He realizes that as the health of the leader goes, so too does the health of the nation. Every leader needs those whom he leads to pray for him. It doesn’t matter if he is a pastor, parent, teacher, or politician. He needs prayer more than most can understand. On the outside, he may look like he has it all together. He has to. Otherwise, those whom he leads will not feel secure. But what you see in not necessarily the reality of it all. The prayer Asaph offers is probably the one that matters the most. He needs strength. He needs strength to fight the enemies he faces: the flesh, the world, and the devil. He needs strength to bear the burdens of others. He needs strength to see toward to future and plan for it. He needs strength to deal with the day-to-day challenges. He needs strength. Pray for him. After all, it is in your best interest.
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