Looking back at my high school years, I could say that my sense of patriotism was formed not so much by my civics class—as my typing class. Remember this drill? “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” Was this declaration penned by some anonymous patriot? Ironically, the famous “quote” has less to do with the founding of our nation than with the invention of the typewriter.
Some say that the statement originally was a plea for political support ending with “… come to the aid of the party.” Charles E. Weller, who was one of a quartet of men who worked together to invent the first typewriter, modified the quote to end with “… the aid of their country.”
Why? It turns out that, with the period, the revised sentence is exactly seventy spaces long—the length of one complete line of monospaced typewriter text—making it the perfect practice drill.
Those of us who took typing in school (in the Dark Ages) were well familiar with the patriotic-sounding sentiment, thinking it a call to arms as we typed it over and over … and over. We could type it with our eyes closed. Well, of course, we could—our grade depended on it.
When my husband began to pastor almost fifty years ago, the familiar typing drill resurfaced in my mind. All that repetition did its perfect work, because it reinforced in me the truth that whether you’re building a nation … or a church … the effort cannot be completed by one man alone. It takes cooperation, organization, and a lot of teamwork.
Many times, I saw my pastor-husband as a Nehemiah on the wall. Juggling jobs. Building a new church with one hand while supporting his family with the other. Trying to balance the time demands on his life versus his living—grappling with church issues that were bigger than what one man (or even one family) could shoulder alone. I wished sometimes that I could rally the troops with the call: “NOW is the time for all good SAINTS to come to the aid of their PASTOR!”
It’s not a bad idea. With all the confusion, negativity, and outright sin that is trying to seep into the church, bringing with it a spirit of rebellion and division, NOW IS the perfect time for faithful-minded saints to prayerfully support, assist, and prop up their pastor. This is true whether they be a senior pastor, executive pastor, assistant pastor, pastor of a specific ministry within the church, or a retired pastor. (“Once a pastor, always a pastor.”)
As hard as they try, none are a perfect package of wisdom, strength, resilience, and endurance—none without their insecurities. Actually, I’m pretty sure every person who has acquired the label “pastor” would appreciate all the help—the AID—they can get. In some cases, the need may be critical, and YOUR aid may actually be life support.
It’s easy to do. There’s lots of ways you can “come to the AID of your pastor.” The best place to start is in PRAYER—to fervently pray for God to equip them by imparting His A.I.D.—HIS Anointing, Inspiration, and Direction—into their heart and mind, so that they may communicate God’s heavenly wisdom more effectively to their (your) world.
To help prime the pump—and using the pronoun “he” merely to conserve verbiage as every word applies likewise to female pastors and/or the pastor’s family—here’s some ways to come to the AID of your pastor in prayer:
- ANOINTING: LORD God, I pray that You would consecrate my pastor with the anointing oil of the Holy Ghost. As with Aaron, let the holy oil of Your favor pour over his head—cleansing his mind, purifying his heart, setting him apart as a holy vessel, fit for Your use. Anoint and polish every piece of his spiritual armor so that he is prepared and protected as he engages in the battle for our souls.
- INSPIRATION: Dear God, breathe Your WORD into my pastor’s heart and mind. Let the inspiration that You gave to the original writers of Scripture flow from the pages, into his thoughts, saturating his interpretation. Just like Solomon, may he desire the wisdom and understanding needed to lead THIS congregation of people wisely and justly.
- DIRECTION: Dear Jesus, lead my pastor as a shepherd. May he always shepherd the sheep as YOU do—with kindness, courage, and integrity in the paths You have prepared. Leading—never misleading. Give him definite guidance to know the way to go and what to do. Let him stay close to You, showing by example how to live as You require: to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly in the way of life everlasting. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
Pastors are an endangered species. According to a recent Barna survey, 43% of pastors check the box for “feeling lonely or isolated” as the reason they consider quitting altogether.
Most can commiserate with Moses who lamented, “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.” (Num. 11:14). Most know they need help, and the BEST, most effective AID they can get comes from God … as a result of prayer. Their heart cries, “PRAY FOR ME, that words may be given to me when I open my mouth, to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news [of salvation] … and pray that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly and courageously, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:19-20 AMP)
When God said, “It is not good that man should be alone …” He was preparing someone to come to Adam’s aid. Perhaps, for your PASTOR, the “AID” that God is preparing … is YOU.
