Do you expect anything to happen when you preach? Do you look for God to work when you open the Word? If not, why not? As preachers we must expect God to work. He has essentially said as much

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My Word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:10-11; NASB)

There are probably times when all of us need to repent for our lack of faith. I know I have had to do this. But we must look to God to bless His Word. If everyone before you thinks not one thing will happen when you stand, then set your face as flint, looking to God to show them that there is a God in heaven who will work through His Word.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones has been very helpful to me on this point. In the context of seeking God and His power, he says

Do you expect anything to happen when you get up to preach in a pulpit? Or do you just say to yourself, “Well, I have prepared my address, I am going to give them this address; some of them will appreciate it and some will not?” Are you expecting it to be the turning point in someone’s life? Are you expecting anyone to have a climatic experience? That is what preaching is meant to do. That is what you find in the Bible and in the subsequent history of the Church.[1]

Brothers, we must expect our preaching to make a difference. May God help us live holy lives, praying to Him, and expecting His blessing.

[1] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers: 40^th Anniversary Edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 340.