Nobody had to teach me that I should pray for my sermons. The first time I preached, with knees trembling and stomach fluttering, I knew that preaching was over my head. After all, I was standing before a holy God declaring his eternal Word. What an awesome responsibility. And lives are literally hanging in the balance. The risen Christ wants to heal the sick, raise the dead, set the captives free, seek and save the lost. Who is worthy of such a task? Of course, I need to pray for my sermon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if you\u2019re anything like me, I can get so pressed for sermon prep time, not to mention the 101 other pastoral and personal duties for the week, that praying for my sermon falls by the wayside. Sadly, I can often relate with Scott Gibson\u2019s observation what while we all agree \u201cthat prayer is foundational for preaching,\u201d we often \u201cget into our routine of sermon preparation and prayer becomes an afterthought rather than a central part of preaching.\u201d So, if you\u2019re anything like me, this preaching guide is for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Six seasoned preachers offer practical and creative ways to rekindle and then integrate prayer into your preaching routines and rhythms. For instance, Scott Gibson recommends six times during our sermon prep when we can remember to stop and pray. With his typical intellectual clarity and pastoral gentleness, Ken Shigematsu invites us into \u201cthe lasting fruit of our preaching ministry\u201d by taking a \u201cposture of restful dependence on God in prayer.\u201d I was moved by Ken\u2019s counsel about how to \u201cprepare at an unhurried pace,\u201d the pace of attentive listening to the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matt Erickson\u2019s article helps us to think and pray through the three seasons of every sermon\u2019s lifespan\u2014before the sermon (planning), during the sermon (delivery), after the sermon (relinquishing). Jesse Benack likes to focus his sermon prayers on the three Fs of preaching\u2014Fidelity (to God\u2019s Word), Freedom (to be free in Christ), and Fire (the unction of the Holy Spirit). Prayer comes alive in Daniel Fusco\u2019s sermon prep as he thinks of five concentric circles, starting in the center (praying for yourself and your family), and then moving to the outer circle (praying for continued impact).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, my preaching mentor Darrell Johnson, who has been preaching for fifty years, offers this impetus to our prayer life: \u201cPreaching that reaches the human mind and heart, preaching that brings about real transformation (on all kinds of levels) emerges from a praying mind and heart. The call to preach is first and foremost the call to pray.\u201d He calls it \u201cthe double motion of preaching\u201d\u2014speaking to human beings about the living God and speaking to God about human beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 20th century Jewish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer once said, \u201cI only pray when I\u2019m in trouble, but I\u2019m always in trouble, so I\u2019m always praying.\u201d Preaching leads me into trouble. It\u2019s over my head, out of my league, above my paygrade. You don\u2019t need this preaching guide to convince you that you should pray. But I hope this preaching guide will show you how to weave prayer into every step of your sermon prep process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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