In Behalf of God

 One of the first things required of the preacher who desires to preach a word which in the spirit of the prophets whose word was characterized by the phrase,  "Thus says the Lord....,"  is silence.   In the world in which we live and work, silence is a scarce commodity.  Not only is it scarce in that there is always some kind of noise to fill silent spaces, but those who step into spiritual disciplines find it difficult to cultivate seasons of silence in their daily time set apart for God.  For the preacher experiencing the silence where God is able to be heard is not an option, but a necessity.    

Good preaching that is received as the Word of God for the people of God begins in these moments.  It is not that the sermon is presented to the preacher in those moments, but instead, it is the time when the  preacher begins to know, understand, and experience the heart of God.  As such a blessing begins to overflow in the preacher's life, it is more likely that the preaching offered will begin to reflect this spiritual awareness.    Whatever it is that is saturating our life is what is going to overflow into whatever work we do for God. 

And as we experience the saturation overflow, what we do for God, whether it is preaching or something altogether different, will be done with a different motive and in a way that enables those on the receiving end of some act of ministry to know that it comes from the heart of God.   The word preached in behalf of God, and acts of ministry done in His behalf, will reflect what is experienced in the silence shared with Him.  Without the silence, we run the risk of being the noisy gong and clanging cymbal.