The Preaching Jitters

I preached for the first time as a teen in 1995. Since then, I have preached almost 200 times. And it does not go away! What am I talking about? The preaching jitters. I am always nervous to preach! It is a holy fear, though. I am not nervous because I think that I am a pathetic communicator. I am not paralyzed to public speak. I am just humbled and nervous about the enormity of the task of representing God and speaking on His behalf. I believe that preaching is God's event! Always has been, always will be. It is a weighty responsibility to deliver a message from God for His people. That is NOT something you want to mess up. Every week I feel under qualified, humbled, nervous, and really dependent on God! The jitters usually land me in the bathroom a lot. Was that TMI? Oh well.

Here's how I see it: I never want the preaching jitters to go away. They remind me that it is not about me. The day that I am confident enough to get up and preach the word of God without some healthy holy tremble is the day I need to reexamine my heart and call. I need Him! And I want to be reminded of that.

--Noah