Prayer points with Scriptures · 19 points
Prayer Points for the Month of October
These prayer points for the month of October follow two things many US churches mark this month: Pastor Appreciation Month, and Reformation Day on October 31, when Protestants remember how the gospel was brought back into the light in the 1500s. As leaves fall and harvests come in, they also thank God for the harvest and ask for strength to persevere. Use them on your own, as a family, at a prayer meeting or as a whole church.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40:8 (BSB)
Pray one section a week through October, or one point a day. Pray the pastors section together as a church on Pastor Appreciation Sunday, then send your pastors a note to say you did. At a prayer meeting, give each section to a different leader, and leave a pause after every point for others to pray. Save the Reformation section for the last week of the month.
Our pastors
1Preaching the word in every season
Lord, give our pastors courage and patience to preach the word in season and out of season, to reprove, rebuke and encourage with patient instruction. Keep them faithful to Scripture when it is unpopular as well as when it is welcome.
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.
2 Timothy 4:2 (BSB)2The daily weight of caring for a church
Lord Jesus, Paul felt the daily pressure of his concern for all the churches. Our pastors carry that weight too: hospital visits, hard conversations, late-night calls. Carry it with them, and show us how to lighten their load.
Apart from these external trials, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
2 Corinthians 11:28 (BSB)3Strength for a long journey
LORD, when Elijah was worn out, Your angel touched him and told him to get up and eat, or the journey would be too much for him. Restore weary pastors with rest, good food, true friends and fresh strength from You.
A second time the angel of the LORD returned and touched him, saying, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.”
1 Kings 19:7 (BSB) · Pray this verse →4Guarded from temptation
Father, protect our pastors from the temptations that ruin ministries: pride, greed, sexual sin and secret bitterness. Help them keep themselves under discipline, so that after preaching to others they will never be disqualified.
No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:27 (BSB)5Sharing good things with those who teach
Lord, You tell those who receive instruction in the word to share all good things with their teacher. This Pastor Appreciation Month, show us practical ways to bless our pastors and their families: notes, meals, time off and fair pay.
Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor.
Galatians 6:6 (BSB)
Truths the Reformation recovered
6Scripture: Your word is truth
LORD, the entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever. Thank You for the Bible as our final authority. Keep our church under Your word, testing every teaching, tradition and trend by it.
The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.
Psalm 119:160 (BSB)7The Bible in the people’s own language
God, when Your Law was read in Ezra’s day, it was explained so that the people could understand. Thank You for those who gave ordinary people the Bible in their own language. Bless Bible translators today, and make us eager readers of what they labor to give.
So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.
Nehemiah 8:8 (BSB)8Grace: justified freely
Father, all have sinned and fall short of Your glory; there is no distinction. Thank You that we are justified freely by Your grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. We bring nothing but our need, and You give everything.
And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:22-24 (BSB)9Faith: the righteous will live by faith
God, the gospel reveals a righteousness from You that comes by faith from start to finish. This verse brought Martin Luther peace with You. Let us live by faith in Christ, not by our own record, every day of our lives.
For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17 (BSB)10Christ: the way to the Father
Lord Jesus, You are the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through You. Thank You that You are enough. Give us confidence in You, and love for everyone who has not yet come to You.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:6 (BSB) · Pray this verse →11To God be the glory
God, from You and through You and to You are all things. To You be the glory forever. Keep us from seeking credit for ourselves, our church or our tradition, and let every sermon, song and good work point to You.
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:36 (BSB)
Autumn and the harvest
12You prepare our grain
God, You attend to the earth and water it; You soften the soil with showers, bless its growth and prepare our grain. Thank You for this year’s harvest, and bless the farmers, ranchers and workers who bring it in.
You attend to the earth and water it; with abundance You enrich it. The streams of God are full of water, for You prepare our grain by providing for the earth. You soak its furrows and level its ridges; You soften it with showers and bless its growth.
Psalm 65:9-10 (BSB)13Fruitful seasons and glad hearts
Lord, You have never left Yourself without testimony to Your goodness: You give rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling hearts with food and gladness. As we enjoy apples, pumpkins and full tables, turn our gladness into thanks to You.
Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”
Acts 14:17 (BSB)14Leaving the edges for the poor
LORD, You told Israel not to reap to the very edges of their fields, but to leave some for the poor and the foreigner. Show us the edges of our own abundance we can share this fall, through food pantries, neighbors and our church.
When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:9-10 (BSB)15Green when the leaves fall
LORD, blessed is the one who trusts in You; he is like a tree planted by the waters, whose leaves are always green. As the trees around us lose their leaves, keep our faith rooted and fruitful in every season, even in drought.
But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (BSB)
Perseverance
16The patience of the farmer
Lord, the farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the soil and for the fall and spring rains. Give us that patience as we wait for answers to long prayers, and strengthen our hearts, because Your coming is near.
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
James 5:7-8 (BSB)17Considering Him who endured
Lord Jesus, You endured such hostility from sinners for our sake. When we grow weary and lose heart, help us look to You. Give fresh endurance to those facing long illness, years of caregiving, stalled careers and slow ministries.
Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:3 (BSB)18Finishing the race
Lord, near the end of his life Paul could say he had fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. Help our older saints finish well, and help all of us keep the faith through every mile still ahead.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7 (BSB)19Kept from stumbling
God our Savior, You are able to keep us from stumbling and present us unblemished in Your glorious presence with great joy. Our perseverance rests on Your keeping, not our strength. To You be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, now and forever.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.
Jude 1:24-25 (BSB)
A closing prayer
Lord, thank You for the pastors who feed us with Your word; bless them, protect them and give them joy. Thank You for the truths You brought back into the light: Your word is truth, Your grace is free, and we are saved through faith in Christ alone. As the leaves fall, keep us rooted in You and patient in hope. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but Your word stands forever. To You be the glory. Amen.
Pray with a voice
Short prayers with a voice to pray along with, each drawn from one passage.
Questions
When is Pastor Appreciation Month?
Many churches in the United States observe October as Pastor Appreciation Month, and some set aside a Sunday in October to honor their pastors. Scripture asks believers to respect and esteem those who lead them (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) and to share good things with those who teach them (Galatians 6:6). Praying for them is something every member can do.
What is Reformation Day?
Reformation Day is October 31. On that date in 1517, Martin Luther made public his Ninety-five Theses in Wittenberg, Germany, an event Protestants remember as the start of the Reformation. Its central convictions are often summed up as Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, and the glory of God alone.
What Bible verses are good for October?
For pastors: 2 Timothy 4:2 and Galatians 6:6. For the Reformation: Isaiah 40:8, Psalm 119:160, Romans 1:17, Romans 3:22-24, John 14:6 and Romans 11:36. For autumn: Psalm 65:9-10, Acts 14:17 and Jeremiah 17:7-8. For perseverance: Hebrews 12:3 and James 5:7-8.
More prayer points
Every verse on this page is quoted word for word from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which its publishers dedicated to the public domain. Copy, print and share these prayer points freely with your church.