In an article at his “Practical Shepherding” blog, Brian Croft says it is precisely the hard work involved in preaching preparation that we should celebrate. He writes:
“There is something special about the hard, time-sensitive labor that is preparing to preach God’s Word in a few days. It feeds and nourishes our own soul in a way that moves us to preach powerfully what we have found through intense study and prayer. A young man recently said to me, ‘I love to preach, but I hate to prepare.’ This could have been his way of saying the labor to prepare is hard…because it is. Yet, there is a legitimate risk in the heart of every preacher to ‘love to preach, but hate to prepare.’
“Dear brothers and fellow pastors, yes, the labor is hard. It is intense. It must be done in less than six days regardless of what has happened to you in the week. Yet, we must see our preparation as a gift from God. It is the time when we study with an intensity that nothing else can produce. Through that study, our hearts and minds are pricked, challenged, fed, broken, instructed, shepherded and molded by God Himself through His Word to make us who God wants us to be when we stand before our people to preach His Word.
“Therefore, pastors, grow to love your preparation. Pray that God would feed your soul as you prepare to feed others. If you are not a pastor, pray earnestly throughout the week that God would do a great work in your pastor as he prepares to preach. We have many joyful burdens as part of our calling as pastors. I submit to you this is one we should all grow to love.” (Click here to read the full article.)