Prayers for Preaching

Nick Minerva • Mar 16, 2022

Preaching has always been something that I have really enjoyed. Preaching nearly every week for the last seven months has been a delight. It’s also driven me to pray in unique ways. Regularly preaching to the same group of people is such a privilege that I don’t take for granted. As I have prayed over my study time and preaching time I have found myself drawn to certain passages again and again. An example of one of those passages is 1 Thessalonians 2:3-12.


1 Thessalonians 2:3-12

For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts. For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness— and we didn’t seek glory from people, either from you or from others. Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nurse nurtures her own children. We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers. As you know, like a father with his own children, we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.


I pray that the weekly sermon would ultimately come from a desire to please and out of deep care for the church God has called me to preach to. As I have prayed through these passages I have put together a list of prayers. This list is in a constant state of change as God works in my heart. For example, I have recently added a section of prayers to pray AFTER I preach. I have much to learn as a pastor and preacher, but I’m thankful for the ability to grow as one with my church family and the gift of prayer. 


You can read the prayers below as well as download a PDF copy. The PDF is size A5 so I can keep a copy in the notebook that I use to preach from.

PRAYERS FOR PREACHING

Father, as I prepare to study and preach I pray that…


As I Study 

My heart would be in a state of filial fear of You as I study.


I would model what I am preparing to preach. 


The presence of the fear of You would be felt in the sermon.


My heart and affections would be affected by the beauty, glory, majesty, and goodness of You. 


The sermon’s content would be rich in Scripture and the congregation would be brought to a cross-centered knowledge of You the Redeemer in Christ. 


You would open my mind and heart to understand your Word as I study.


My aim would not primarily be to “help us understand how this applies to us” but that my aim would be to “help us see God.”


As I Preach

My heart would be in a state of filial fear of You as I preach.


Your Spirit would anoint the preaching of your word and me to ultimately glorify you. 


I would step into the pulpit with a heart filled with faith, believing that you have given me everything I need. 


I would remember that my aim is to please you and since you are for me, no one can be against me.


I would not be driven by a desire to perform but to glorify God by feeding his people his Word.


You would open the minds and hearts of your people to understand your Word as I preach.


I would proclaim your Word with boldness, and keep my own opinions silent.


My tone would be gentle and fatherly, not harsh or condescending.


After I Preach

My heart would be in a state of filial fear of You as I rest from the labor of preaching.


The sermon's impact would be that your people might fear the You, grow in holiness and that they would be like fruitful trees planted in your righteousness, declaring your glory.


After I preach my heart would trust in your Holy Spirit to do the slow, tedious work of spiritual growth. 

The Word would have been planted in good soil.


Your Holy Spirit would enable your people to be doers of the Word and not simply hearers. 


Scriptures to Meditate On


Psalm 23:1

The LORD is my shepherd; I have what I need.


2 Peter 1:3

His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.


Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify him.


Romans 8:31-32

What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?


Romans 8:37-39

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Luke 24:45

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.


James 1:22

But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.


Deuteronomy 6:1-2

This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess. Do this so that you may fear the LORD your God all the days of your life by keeping all his statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life.


Psalm 1:2-3

Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.


Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, LORD, and I will live by your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear your name.


Psalm 119:12

LORD, may you be blessed; teach me your statutes.


Psalm 119:15-16

I will meditate on your precepts and think about your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.


Psalm 119:18

Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wondrous things from your instruction.


Psalm 119:25

My life is down in the dust; give me life through your word.


Psalm 119:27-28

Help me understand the meaning of your precepts so that I can meditate on your wonders. I am weary from grief; strengthen me through your word.


Psalm 119:34-35

Help me understand your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart. Help me stay on the path of your commands, for I take pleasure in it.


Psalm 119:38

Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you.


Psalm 119:40

How I long for your precepts! Give me life through your righteousness.


1 Thessalonians 2:3-12

For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts. For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness— and we didn’t seek glory from people, either from you or from others. Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nurse nurtures her own children. We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers. As you know, like a father with his own children, we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.




“I preached as never sure to preach again, 

And as a dying man to dying men.”

- Richard Baxter -

Download Prayers for Preaching

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

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By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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