Anyone who is in a preaching or teaching ministry may occasionally experience a sinking feeling after the presentation has been made. It's that helpless feeling that comes when you think you could have done much better and you wonder if you "lost" your audience somewhere between the introduction and the conclusion. I had one of those experiences yesterday. Now, 24 hours out, I am reminded of what really happened. Let me share a few thoughts about this with you as a way to encourage you in your ministry.
First, God delights to be made strong in our weakness. The Scriptures say in 2 Cor. 12:9, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Whenever I feel like a failure, God is able to demonstrate his grace and strength in and through me.
Next, feelings can be overcome by faith. Preaching and teaching for the glory of God is about trusting Him to do His work. When I try to rely on my training, my ministry skills, my preparation, and the compliments of people in the audience or congregation afterward, I am relying on human achievement. In ministry, my "not so good" message is an opportunity for God to work through me anyway. Even the great apostle Paul had difficulty talking to common folk, (2 Cor. 10:10) but did God ever use the apostle's words? Paul's words even put one man to sleep who was trying hard to listen. (Acts 20:9) Has that ever happened to you? When you finish your preaching or teaching, trust in the Lord to do something with it in people's lives.
Third, when you feel bad or discouraged about your speaking, know for certain that it is the Word of God that will bear fruit no matter what you say or do. (Is. 55:10-11) This assumes that you have studied and meditated on the Word of God in preparation for speaking so that you can be assured that you are sharing what the Bible says and not just your own words. This promise found in Is. 55:10-11 may be just the prayer that you need to pray over your text before and after you speak.
Finally, after you have preached or taught, be reminded that God has the opportunity to use the spiritual gifts He has given to His church to bring about needed life change and church change. (Eph. 4:11-16) But that's also true of personal change in the life of the preacher or teacher. Maybe, just maybe, the content of that dud that you just experienced was meant more for you than for anyone else.
What have you learned from your own preaching and preaching duds?