In a couple of hours or so, I'll be standing before the people at New Hope Baptist Church and opening the Word of God's message to their hearts and minds. After all these years, I still don't feel "ready" every Sunday to do that. This is after hour upon hour of reading the passage, examining the context, the content, and checking the word order and meanings of the text, as well as the "walking around time" I spend thinking about what it means and how best to communicate it. I'm in awe of God, but realistic about His servant David.
When I've been watching the Winter Olympics lately, I've been paying close attention to the athletes at the start. Each seems to go through some period of preparation immediately before their event begins. Some seem to visualize the course with eyes closed, even moving their hands and leaning their bodies as they do. Others appear to withdraw into themselves for a moment. There's a part of that going on right now in me.
I'm visualizing what it might be like if people heard God's Word and acted on its truth. How their lives might change. What that might mean for their families - for the world. I'm trying to answer the hardest question ever posed after a sermon is completed - "So what?" And I'm doing that because I need to hear from God too. So I'm praying as I type this that I might be able to change and become more like Jesus.
Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you today.
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