Desperate preachers pray. Desperate preachers pray a lot. But what do desperate preachers pray?
I once posed a question in an online pastor’s forum/community, asking what they tended to pray in the minutes/hours before preaching. I don’t remember getting a lot of response, so perhaps this topic only interests me. 🙂 But it’s an opportunity to get inside the head of a preacher, at least inside the head of this one (and others who respond).
Last week, when I thought about this topic again, I decided that for the next few weeks (6?), I will try to write down the things I pray during the minutes/hours before I preach. Today was week one.
I’m not really sure where this is headed or what, if anything, this will produce. Maybe I’m just curious. Maybe I’m looking for a way to be more intentional about my prayer life as it relates to preaching.
I’m not really to write a formal “preaching preparation prayer guide,” but it *could* be a helpful framework (or guide) for preachers to take and build on. There’s no right or wrong prayers, necessarily, and like most things, I’m sure it will continue to evolve over the course of time, beyond the next 6 weeks.
Here’s why I think this is important …
When I preached my first sermon (in a preaching class in college, of all places!), I probably spent more time preparing AND praying for that sermon than just about any I’ve ever done. BUT, the reality is, I’m as desperate for God’s help for next week’s sermon as I was for that first one — maybe even more so.
Back then, I *knew* I needed God. Naturally, as I gain experience, the temptation is to rely more on my experience/gifts and less on God. That means I have to be more intentional about my prayer life. And the starting point is to track what I’m praying during the minutes/hours before I preach and look for ways to improve that part of my prayer life.
Another way of looking at this is: How do I get in tune with God before I preach?
So, what do you find yourself often praying during the minutes/hours before you preach?
I invite other preachers to do the same. Then, look for my follow-up post in about 6 weeks or so, and share your findings/learnings.