It was the final session of a country wide preachers’ conference. The elderly preacher speaking at the final session was a godly and highly esteemed servant of the Lord. However, when it was time for the last session to begin, the preacher could not be found. Finally, he was discovered behind closed doors and was heard praying passionately. Before knocking at the door he was heard repeating the same words, “I’m not going unless you go with me!”

Clearly the godly man was caught with the same problem Job had (Job 23:1-9). He could not sense the presence of the Lord. He had prepared his message and had prayed over it for weeks. But suddenly the godly man felt a cold chill in his heart and knew he had momentarily lost the Lord’s felt presence.

The man who found the preacher might have scolded him and quoted verses where the Lord promises to never leave or forsake His people and called on the preacher to “lay hold of the promises” but he did not. Instead, he got on his knees beside the desperate man and added his prayers to the elderly servant of the Lord.

Suddenly the Holy Spirit descended in power, the men rose from their feet and the message that was delivered that day was the highlight of the conference.

Do you pray for the preacher faithfully? Do you send an occasional email assuring the Lord’s servant that you will pray as the sermon is delivered that the Holy Spirit will descend in power and make the sermon wonderfully blessed? Those of us who occupy the pulpit are sometimes especially in need of praying people who will add their prayers to ours that the ministry will be delivered in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I recall, in one church I served, having 8-10 men gather with me prior to each meeting to pray passionately for the felt presence of the Lord in the next hour as biblical truth was sung and declared. We reminded the Lord of His exceedingly great and precious promises to bless His people. We pled with Him to remember His people’s needs that only He could meet. I have never been more wonderfully blessed than in those 15-20 minutes of earnest, fervent prayer by godly people.

May you be extraordinarily blessed as a listener because of how passionately you sought the remarkable power of the Lord upon the Word preached.