Preaching and the Voice of God
For those of us who preach, how do we listen to the voice of God as we prepare our messages? That is, how do we experience the illumination of the Holy Spirit in Scripture as we prepare to speak to people?
The prophets of the Old Testament often used the Hebrew word massah to describe their messages. It’s normally translated as vision or prophecy, but the literal meaning is burden. The prophets felt God burdening them with weighty matters which commanded them. Jeremiah even described his burden as “a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:9).
Should we expect the same to hold true for us? Should we expect our messages to burn within us, or to lay heavy on our hearts until we deliver them?
Perhaps — but we should also remember that the prophets were speaking to a rebellious nation. We, on the other hand, may be preaching to Anna, who gardens. Our scheduled messages may not weigh upon us in the same way as a prophet’s. Still, we can expect moments when we will be given a prophet’s burden to bear. It could be an inner compulsion to deliver a warning, or an awareness that we should speak words of comfort. Whatever it may be, there will be days when we feel a divine urgency behind our speaking.
Should we expect the same to hold true for us? Should we expect our messages to burn within us, or to lay heavy on our hearts until we deliver them?
Perhaps — but we should also remember that the prophets were speaking to a rebellious nation. We, on the other hand, may be preaching to Anna, who gardens. Our scheduled messages may not weigh upon us in the same way as a prophet’s. Still, we can expect moments when we will be given a prophet’s burden to bear. It could be an inner compulsion to deliver a warning, or an awareness that we should speak words of comfort. Whatever it may be, there will be days when we feel a divine urgency behind our speaking.
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Discernment of messages is best done when we live our lives in relationship with God, with people and with the Scriptures. The intersection of these three relationships provides a listening space for discernment. It is out of this listening space that we preach.
(1) It is important first to cultivate a relationship with the living God. If God is just a concept to us, or if we have allowed our relationship to dry up, we cannot hear God speaking. |
A relationship with the living God is marked by a tender and responsive attitude filled with prayer, confession, justice, mercy and humility (Micah 6:8). An opposite attitude is to be stubborn and rebellious and hardened in heart (Hebrews 4:7). Authenticity in preaching comes only from listening to God. Otherwise, our messages will sound hollow and be lacking in power. As Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) once said, "A few minutes of silent openness of soul before the Lord has brought us more treasure of truth than hours of learned research."
We develop in our relationship with God as we grow in Christ. If you want to learn more about spiritual formation in Christ, a book is recommended under the "ABOUT" section of this website.
(2) It is not enough just to cultivate a relationship with God. To discern the Voice of God, we must also have a relationship with people. How can we expect to know what God wants us to say to people unless we understand them? Pastors who deliver the most pertinent messages are acquainted with the joys, hopes, struggles and fears of the people they address. When we are ignorant of people, we end up speaking to our own interests. Or, we make the mistake of assuming that people are more developed spiritually than they really are. This makes us sound irrelevant, or harsh. It is only when we become familiar with people that we can be their true soul friend and communicate on their level in an honest and pastoral way to their hidden doubts and private struggles. Relevancy in preaching comes from having deep, personal relationships with our listeners.
(3) Thirdly, we also need to develop a relationship with Scripture. The Bible is the story of God’s self-revelation to the world through a chosen people. It is inspired and this gives us the confidence that God speaks through it to strengthen us as disciples.
In this way, the Scriptures are our common language with God. When we become fluent in our common language — living and thinking in it and seeing how Christ flows through it — we can hear God speaking. But if we are ignorant of our common language, it affects our ability to hear God. Authority in preaching comes from having a solid footing in God's Word.
We are most able to hear spiritual words for others in the listening space provided by these three relationships: prayerfully listening to God, studying people and becoming fluent in Scripture. This gives our messages authenticity, relevancy and authority.
GO TO TOP
We develop in our relationship with God as we grow in Christ. If you want to learn more about spiritual formation in Christ, a book is recommended under the "ABOUT" section of this website.
(2) It is not enough just to cultivate a relationship with God. To discern the Voice of God, we must also have a relationship with people. How can we expect to know what God wants us to say to people unless we understand them? Pastors who deliver the most pertinent messages are acquainted with the joys, hopes, struggles and fears of the people they address. When we are ignorant of people, we end up speaking to our own interests. Or, we make the mistake of assuming that people are more developed spiritually than they really are. This makes us sound irrelevant, or harsh. It is only when we become familiar with people that we can be their true soul friend and communicate on their level in an honest and pastoral way to their hidden doubts and private struggles. Relevancy in preaching comes from having deep, personal relationships with our listeners.
(3) Thirdly, we also need to develop a relationship with Scripture. The Bible is the story of God’s self-revelation to the world through a chosen people. It is inspired and this gives us the confidence that God speaks through it to strengthen us as disciples.
In this way, the Scriptures are our common language with God. When we become fluent in our common language — living and thinking in it and seeing how Christ flows through it — we can hear God speaking. But if we are ignorant of our common language, it affects our ability to hear God. Authority in preaching comes from having a solid footing in God's Word.
We are most able to hear spiritual words for others in the listening space provided by these three relationships: prayerfully listening to God, studying people and becoming fluent in Scripture. This gives our messages authenticity, relevancy and authority.
GO TO TOP