Pastors Also Need A Time Of Rest

Tom Nelson is the senior pastor of Denton Bible Church in Denton, Texas, a role he has held for many of the almost 40 years the church has been in existence.

I first became acquainted with his Bible teaching and preaching by listening to audio cassettes provided by his church in the early 1990s.

Since then, I have heard many of his messages, not just on audio cassettes, but on CD, on MP3 files and on the internet.

But I never got to visit Denton Bible Church or hear Pastor Nelson speak in person until July 23.

While I was there, the church staff made sure that I got to meet him, and I thanked him in person for his influence and his ministry, which reaches far beyond the city limits of Denton.

Nelson delivers weekly messages to his congregation that are based upon extensive biblical study and that are rich in practical wisdom and spiritual insights.

He does a very good job of taking biblical truths and applying them to everyday life.

On the day I was there he spoke about Christians having a word of certainty in an uncertain world, taking his text from Acts 27, which tells how Paul was a prisoner on board a ship bound for Rome.

Most people sail along in life, not concerned much with spiritual matters, feeling confident and sure that a person’s eternal destiny will somehow work out in the end.

Nelson said that, like Paul in Acts 27, Christians today have a solid message that others need. But, just as in Paul’s day, many people don’t feel they need it.

They don’t worry about religious matters much at all, not until a storm in life arises, just as one did in the biblical story of Paul’s voyage.

At a time of crisis or worry or fear a person will often look to God, and when that happens, a Christian who is nearby can help with a word of encouragement, hope, and salvation.

Most of us, if we are inclined to seriously contemplate spiritual matters, can often cite ministers or church leaders who have provided sound guidance and instruction for life’s journey.

Nelson is one of those individuals for me.

Our visit in the church office on July 23 was brief but meaningful. He had just delivered the message for the early morning church service and would do so again during the second service later.

I have been told by more than one clergyman that preaching in church can be a very taxing experience, and I understand why.

When a person pours his heart and soul into preparing and delivering a message as serious as a sermon in which the souls of the listeners hang in the balance, it can be very draining indeed.

And when multiple messages are delivered each week year after year (and in Nelson’s case, decade after decade) it can really take a toll.

That’s why on July 23 when Nelson and I finished our short visit he told one of the staff members, “I’m going to go lie down.”

He needed just a bit of rest before standing up to speak in the later service.

One of the ladies who helps coordinate Sunday morning activity in the Denton Bible Church office spoke to me for a minute after Nelson excused himself.

In so many words, she said it would help if I prayed specifically for physical and emotional strength for the pastor as he goes about his duties. I said I was glad to do so.

“You heard him say, ‘I need to go lie down,’” she said. “He hasn’t felt well. Ordinarily he would have had you back in to his office to visit a little more.”

From that moment on, I began to see Pastor Nelson a little bit differently. He is not an old, old man but he is no longer 30 years old either. He has always been an energetic Bible teacher that has been extremely helpful to me over the years, but he is also a human being who—like all of us—can grow tired even though he remains deeply dedicated to God and to the work God has him doing.

I know we have a Christian obligation to pray for those who shepherd God’s people. In my own experience I specifically feel compelled to remember Nelson in regular times of prayer, asking the Almighty to continue to sustain him each day.

For many of us, there is an influential minister in our life in need of our prayers. It’s the least we can do for those who have devoted their lives to watching over our souls.

In life any one of us can physically lose a step or lose some zest if we live long enough. But we can be thankful for those like Pastor Nelson, who remain steadfast even after decades of service. I’m glad he is a reliable guide to those who need guidance, and has a word of certainty in a world that isn’t always certain.