Why Sermon Preparation is Not Devotional Time

Every Monday morning, I swivel in my desk chair—praying, pondering. Yellow legal pads fill with chicken scratch in a language only I understand. About fifty Mondays a year, around 3:00 p.m., I start to wonder if I’ll have anything worthwhile to say the following Sunday. The other two Mondays I’m on vacation.

I know it’s the Holy Spirit, but many weeks it feels like sheer luck. My sermon comes together and cogent points begin to form. I’ve heard of some pastors using their sermon preparation as a...