A Prayer for Shepherds

For the shoulders needing a shoulder

While we come to God in prayer as sheep—lost souls seeking direction, guidance, purpose, care, and comfort—sometimes life casts us as the shepherds.

Shepherds to our loved ones that are lost, that we are worried we can’t help or save, and that, at times, we are so frustrated that nothing we’ve done seems to have made a difference.

This prayer can come from a parent or grandparent, a spouse, sibling, caretaker, or friend. Someone who sees the trouble, chaos, defeat, submission and lethargy.

It is difficult to be the one struggling, yes, but it is also difficult to be the caretaker.

To be the one trying to mend a wound that won’t heal quickly, to be the one trying to rebuild the world of the person they love, to be the one trying to help shine light back into a life that is only finding darkness.

It is difficult to pour your energy into someone and have them reject it. To bend over backwards trying to make them see the good in life when they are not in a place to hear it yet.

It is difficult to feel like you are losing the person you love while losing yourself in the process, wondering how much longer you can hold on for either of you.

So today I want to pray for the shepherds, for the caretakers, for the shoulders being leaned on.

I pray they would know that they too deserve help, that they don’t have to bear this weight on their own, and I pray that they would find that help, or that it would find them.

I pray the energy they’ve poured into those around them would be poured right back into them, that they would find refreshment, encouragement, and new life, and understand that it is not selfish to feel that way, but necessary.

I pray that there would be care for the carers, that shoulders near and far would be made available for them to lean on, that the weight of the world would no longer feel like it is being carried by one person, but by many, making it lighter for all.

I pray for the hearts of these shepherds, that you would fill them with grace and understanding, that you would give them words they might never have said before, perspective they might never have found before, and silence where they might never have known to offer it before.

I pray that the sheep they look after would see them, see the love they have for them, even if they can’t quite feel it yet. I pray that they would recognize them as an ally, a friend, a helping hand that is reaching out, not pushing them away.

I pray for redemption, for breakthroughs in these challenging relationships, for peace, for a new dawn. And I pray that just as we lift up those who are outwardly struggling, we would also take time to pray for those trying to look put together—for those feeling like there is no room for their weakness because a loved one needs strength.

I pray that you would offer strength without condition, without ranking, without a wait—I pray that any and all who need your strength would feel it; that any and all who need your healing would feel it; that any and all who need your hand would take it, understanding that you are the ultimate shepherd caring for your sheep, so that none of us have to do it alone.

Amen.

The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.

Psalm 23:1-3