Afraid to Preach

Sam Hamstra | Oct 16, 2009

From time to time, I come across writings that prompt fear about preaching, like Jeremiah's words to the prophets kicking around Jerusalem: "I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied" (Jeremiah 23:21). Then, in words which suggest things haven't changed much over the last 2,500 years, the Lord says through Jeremiah, "I have heard what the preachers say who speak in my name. They say 'I had a dream!' How long will this continue: preachers prophesying the delusions of their own minds."

If those words aren't clear enough, Jeremiah added this punch line: "You must not mention the oracle of the Lord again, because every man's own word becomes his oracle and you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God" (v36).  And, if that's not enough motivation for prophets/preachers to get in right, the Lord pronounced the following judgment upon those who speak their own words, instead of those of God: "I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence" (v39).

Words like those, it seems to me, prompt any preacher to think twice before preaching. Why even speak if one of the outcomes is being cast out of God's presence?  Plus, who I am to think I will get it right when all those Old Testament preachers messed up? Finally, how can I be certain that my sermons represent God's Word and not a delusion created by my own mind? 

Thankfully, Jeremiah offers some hope for those who must preach: "If the prophets (preachers) had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people" (Jeremiah 23:22). "Stood in my council?"  Here Jeremiah encourages me, and all who dare to speak in the name of the Lord, that we should hang out with the Lord, stand in his council, sit in his presence, ruminate over His words, reflect on his thoughts. When I try to flesh-out those words, it seems to me like a pretty straight-forward call to spend sufficient time in the study, not just the streets, to fellowship with God, not just His people, to allow myself to be managed by God before seeking to manage others. Even then, though, I feel the need for some serious grace to relieve the fear that, in spite of my best efforts, I will screw up and preach my delusions instead of the Word of the Lord. God help me and all who dare speak in the name of the Lord.

But that's not all. Looking again at Jeremiah, I discover another source of fear, for when Jeremiah preached the Word of the Lord, in all of its fulness, the people wanted to kill him. In Jeremiah 26:8 we read, "As soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, 'You must die!'" That's a pretty intense response to the Word, the possibility of which might discourage many a preacher to back off from declaring the Word of the Lord. 

So here's the take-away from Jeremiah's experience: preaching can be a no-win situation. If I dilute the sermon with distortions and delusions, I must answer to the Lord. If I speak the Word of the Lord, the people may slander me while kicking me out of town. Seems like the best option is to not preach and, thereby, not risk those consequences.

Yet, I keep preaching. Why? I can identify but one good answer to that question, one reason for any preacher to stand behind a pulpit and dare speak a word in the name of the Lord; that being "the call." Yep, when all is said and done, the primary motivation for preaching is not to change lives, provide leadership, make the world a better place, gain power and prestige, follow in someone's footsteps, or make a good living. It is simply God's call.  Personally, I just can't escape the convicton that, like it or not, afraid or not, the Lord has called and equipped me for this task. Were it not for "the call," I would surely be doing something else with my life, something with much less risk.