Clay in the Hands

Sunday, I was in my office early. I had not slept well through the night – waking up almost hourly with the sermon on my mind and heart. Each time I awoke, I would begin to pray for God to speak into me and then speak through me the next morning.

It is not that I had not prepared for the sermon. Truth be told, I had more information in my notes than with many sermons. I felt my points were clear and the content consistent with the text. So I couldn’t understand the anxiety. Even now, two days later, I am not sure what was going on.

I would like to say that through the worship experience, people were moved to action. I wish I could write about how God used my turning to him to really make a difference in the hearts of his people.

I trust God moved in the hearts of the people, but I didn’t see an overwhelming display. But this experience has reminded me of an important truth – it is never about me. I can put hours into a sermon and feel good about how it will go but what I have to remember is that my role is not to invoke some kind of response. The point of the sermon is never to manipulate.

My role is to be faithful and trust completely in the Father. My calling is to work hard during the week and go to the pulpit with my absolute best each and every Sunday. Then I must trust God to take it from there.

Remember today that God wants your best – the very best you can do – and leave the outcome to him.

Be your best today!