The church of Jesus Christ throughout history has given concerted energy and time to the preaching of God’s Word (2 Timothy 4:2). What can you do personally to make sure that you profit from hearing God’s Word preached?

• Before worship, we can prepare in advance by praying for a receptive heart and teachable spirit.
• During worship, we can examine what we hear by the Scriptures and receive its truth with faith, love, meekness, and readiness of mind.
• After worship, we can meditate upon the Word in our hearts and bring forth the fruit of it in our lives.

All of the above is impossible apart from the illumination of God’s Holy Spirit. No preacher is dynamic, eloquent, and gifted enough to bring about life transformation in his hearers. For this reason, we humbly pray for God’s Spirit to illumine the reading and preaching of His Word so that lives are transformed.

Why not make the following your prayer of illumination as you prepare to hear God’s Word preached this coming Sunday?

Prayer: Father, amid all the changing words of our generation,
speak to us now Your eternal Word that doesn’t change
and help us to respond as we ought…
with faith, understanding and obedience. For Jesus’ sake, AMEN.