A Preacher's Prayer

Heavenly Father, tomorrow morning I preach my first sermon at Central Peninsula Church. I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it. I'm ready to go. And, I'm a little nervous. Lord, preaching is such a weighty and thrilling task. I still can't believe that you would call little me to such things. This sermon will fail without prayer. So, I pray. I ask for your help. Help me to do a good job. This is my first preaching impression that I will make at CPC and it's my prayer that this first impression I make is an impression for your name's sake.Help me to preach my text in such a way that I give you great glory. My game plan for Sunday morning is to talk about you. Help me to clearly expound my text, give you glory, show off the riches of your gospel, feed your people, and call sinners home.I need you to help me to let loose in the pulpit. Sometimes I grow fearful and hold back in the pulpit. I don't want to do that. I hate it when I do that. Change any and all such bad habits now. Help me to not be fearful of declaring the severity and the sweetness of the text I'm preaching. Spirit, come upon me and make me bold. Give me joy and confidence as I preach. Help me to be relaxed and to be myself.May I not worry about whether or not my new church family likes me, connects with my personality, or jives with my preaching style as I preach this first sermon. I trust that you have called me to this new place to be a preacher of your Word and that you planned this with perfect wisdom. Your Word will be proclaimed tomorrow and you will accomplish mighty things through it. My aim is to exalt Jesus Christ, feed your people the full course of rich fare offered in this text, and to have a blast in the process. Use me Lord. Strengthen the saints. Save sinners. Be right now preparing people's minds, hearts, and hands for this sermon.I pray all this for your name's sake and by the blood of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.