Nehemiah 8:8 – They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
.
Reading this verse gives me confidence, because it reminds me that my job as a pastor is the same as the jobs of pastors for thousands of years. In the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the people assembled to hear the word of God. The teachers read the word of God to the people, and they explained it so that the people could understand it. This was central to worship in those days, and it is central to worship today.
Today, there are many people who believe the preaching of the word of God to be unimportant or irrelevant. I disagree. In the scriptures, from Old Testament to New, we see practiced the preaching of the word. We see the regular call to preach the word. We see the positive effects of preaching the word. And, regardless of how we feel our cultures have changed over the years, the fact remains that no one will be truly changed in such a way that helps them to follow God if not through the solid exposition of the word of God.
Dear Lord, I pray that you will make me a faithful preacher of your word. Let me read your word to your people. Let me explain it in such a way as to give a real understanding of its meaning. I pray that you will empower that work for the sake of glorifying your name and changing lives. Let me never bend to the urges of those who would minimize the importance and centrality of the preaching event. Help me to serve you as you have shown I should in your word.
Pastor Travis Peterson 