(Ecclesiastes 12:9-11 ESV) 9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.
I recently listened to a sermon from Pastor Sunder Krishnan on the topic of blessing. As part of his message, he prayed a blessing over those who teach and preach God’s Word:
- May God bless you with knowledge and depth of insight into Scripture.
- May God bless you with the wisdom to apply Scripture to the lives of people you teach so that they will immediately acknowledge the relevance of what you have taught.
- May God bless you with diligence in studying and arranging your material so that it is logical and therefore illuminating to the listeners.
- May God bless you with words that are beautiful through the appropriate use of metaphor, illustration, and story that will imprint the principles indelibly on your listeners’ hearts.
- May God bless you with words that are like goads and nails that provoke movement in the lives of your people without hurting them.
- May God bless you with an economy of words so you will have the freedom to NOT share everything that is on your heart.
- May God bless you with words that will refresh people who have come weary from life’s demands and challenges.
