Because of His People

1 Chronicles 4:2
“And David perceived that the LORD had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel.”

Behind every great pastor are a great people who allowed that man to be a great leader and who supported him in word and actions. In the verse above, David perceived that the LORD confirmed him over Israel, not just because of his kingdom becoming strong, but mainly because the people were behind him. The kingdom of David likely would not have become great had the people who followed him didn’t confirm him in their hearts, actions and words. David would have never been able to accomplish all that he did if he had to fight the people with every decision.

Every pastor needs the confidence of his people if he is going to do what God is capable of doing through him. One of the greatest concerns that many pastors must overcome is whether the people are totally with him in what he is trying to do. Yes, there is a danger in giving the leader the freedom to go forward without always having to try and learn whether the hearts of the people are with him. However, there is a greater danger to the future of what the LORD is trying to do if the people never confirm the leader in their heart, and with their actions and word. Let me give you several thoughts about how you can help your leader to gain the same confidence of confirmation that David had.

First, stop questioning everything your pastor is trying to do. Good pastors struggle with doing the right thing because they don’t want to disappoint the LORD or those they are leading. When you question everything your pastor does, you are putting a question in his mind as to whether you are truly with him. Even if your questioning is a “joke,” you are giving Satan ammunition against your pastor to cause him to doubt as to whether the people are with him.

Second, your pastor can’t read your mind. You may be behind your pastor, but he will never know it unless you share words of encouragement with him. Your pastor needs to hear that you are excited about what he is doing. Your pastor needs to hear that the sermons he is preaching are a help to you. A pastor certainly shouldn’t rely on the verbal support of his people, but he is still human, and he will find it hard to go forward if he never hears the verbal support from those he leads. It would help if you made it a regular action to verbally let your pastor know that his sermons are a great help to you and that you are excited about what he is doing.

Third, your pastor needs participative support as much as he needs your verbal support. Saying that you support your pastor and getting involved are two different things. You will run your pastor into the ground if he is the only one doing the work. Words of encouragement are needed, but you should couple those words of encouragement with participation in the church activities. When you couple verbal and participative support together, you will free up your pastor to do more for the LORD, which will benefit you in the end.

Does your pastor know that you are with him in heart? Many great pastors are never exposed because they are continually trying to win over the hearts of their people. How greatly the LORD can use your pastor just may depend upon your verbal and participative support of what he is doing. Let me encourage you to support your pastor; in doing so, you just might reveal the greatness God has for him and you.

Author: Allen Domelle