BY: H.B. CHARLES
I publicly pray before I start my sermons. I also privately pray as I preach.
Can you preach and pray at the same time?
You better! Multiple things go through the preacher’s mind as he preaches. I’m not sure
the preacher thinks about multiple things at the same time; rather, the mind quickly and
constantly shifts from one thing to another, consisting of good and bad thoughts, true
and false, wise and foolish. This is why I pray as I preach. There are three fundamental
things I need God to do for me as I preach.
I need God to guide my thoughts.
Have you ever tried to pray, only to have your mind flooded with distractions? The same
thing can happen in preaching. All kinds of mundane thoughts come to mind. Members
walk. Babies cry. Children pass notes. Deacons sleep. Others seem more interested in
their cell phones. You spot guests. You don't see a faithful member in her regular spot.
You start thinking about last week. Or you start thinking about next week.
There are moments of distraction in preaching when I openly ask God to hold my mind.
This petition is secretly and repeatedly uttered throughout the message. The words you say
in preaching are offerings of worship. So are the thoughts you entertain as you preach the
word! You need God to bring to your memory what he taught you in private. You need God
to help you stay focused. You need God to rein in your wandering thoughts.
I need God to guard my heart.
Faithful preaching requires mental preparation and concentration. Moreover, it demands
spiritual devotion. It doesn’t matter if your head is in the game if your heart is not. The
preacher should offer the Lord a prepared message, a rested body, and a consecrated
heart. So examine your heart for any unconfessed sin before you stand to preach. And
continue the spiritual examination as you preach.
You may not feel comfortable with the message. You may be afraid of their faces. You may
be in a place where preaching is out of season. You need God to guard your heart from
fear, worry, and discouragement. Or the sermon may go well. The congregation gets the
message. There is the sense that God is at work. You need God to guard your heart from
sinful pride.
I need God to govern my words.
I advocate writing full sermon manuscripts for each sermon. Writing yourself clear will keep
you from filibustering in the pulpit. Yet it does not mean you should say everything in the
manuscript. You need God to edit out what he wants out and edit in what he wants in.
The Apostle Paul often asked that he would be given the right words to say (Eph. 6:19-20;
Col. 4:3-4). This, too, should be our prayer. The pulpit is not a stage for your performance. It
is the throne of the word of God. The King’s herald must be careful not to say anything in
preaching that is untrue, unwise, or unhelpful.
Standing to preach is dangerous business. The Lord will judge teachers with greater
strictness (James 3:1). There are unbelievers, baby Christians and mature saints in the
congregation. Your preaching of the gospel is the fragrance of life to those who are being
saved and the fragrance of death to those who are perishing. Our preaching of the gospel
should be faithful, clear and compelling. We need God’s help to this end.
What do you pray as you preach?
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, Colossians 4:3-4, Ephesians 6:19-20, James 3:1, Job 1:1-
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