This is the On Preaching Podcast with H.B. Charles Jr.

The podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.

Good day and thanks for listening to the podcast.

In this episode, I want to talk to you about preaching and prayer.

Many times as a boy growing up in church, I would hear the preacher say,

preaching and prayer go together.

If there is going to be preaching in the pulpit, there must be praying in the pews.

I heard that statement more times than I could actually count.

And it basically became a cliche in my mind at a certain point.

But just because something is a cliche doesn't mean it's untrue, right?

Preaching and praying do go together.

And in this episode, I just want to talk to you about making a closer bond between those two in your sermon preparation, in your pulpit delivery, and in your public ministry as a whole.

Preaching is essential, or rather prayer is essential to effective preaching. Prayer is

essential to effective preaching. The preacher needs prayer for his sermon. I feel like this is a whole

another podcast, but let me just, by way of introduction, encourage you to build around you

a prayer band. That's what they used to call it in my daddy's church. A prayer ban. Persons who are

praying for you as you prepare to preach as you actually preach. There is a little booklet

that I would commend to you by Mike Faberos entitled Praying for Sunday,

which I think is an excellent little resource to get you started in there.

And there's also a book by John Maxwell on Partners in Prayer about building a support around the pulpit and pastoral work of the minister via

intercessory prayer. You need people to pray who will pray for your preaching. In fact,

there are many people in the church who take for granted

...