In his classic book The Burdensome Joy of Preaching, James Earl Massey writes about the urgency of having a “sense of divine anointing our preaching should carry and convey. We who preach not only present a message, but also represent its Sender.
“The pulpit ministry can make a world of difference for our hearers when we are perceived as being on God’s mission, not our own, when it seems forcefully clear that our being in such a service role involved something more than a personal choice. True preaching readiness is by divine appointment to the task, and a distinct anointing for it is one of the credentials that certify our readiness and right to preach.
“Our way as spiritual leaders is marked out for us by two basic influences: nature and grace. The influence of nature is seen in our personality, intellect, temperament, and natural gifts. The influence of grace—that is, the favor God has evidenced to us—is seen in the way the touch of God upon our lives has harnessed and enhanced those natural factors so that we have been made ready to serve God.
"As preachers we are responsible to deal with the things of God and speak about them, so that as we speak and act God is present and active in it all. That is what divine anointing is all about.”