Been Here Before

“Act like you’ve been here before.”

That was the instruction from the coach of one of my youth basketball teams. We were getting a little full of ourselves after a small amount of success, and our coach wanted us to notice how our response looked from the outside. It looked as though we were unfamiliar with winning . . . and we were!

A couple weeks ago, you and I considered the wonderful promise that we do not have to be anxious about being called to speak before kings, and that God will fill our mouths in that moment.

Today we consider one of the ways God fulfills that promise—by affording us the opportunity to learn in private what will one day be proclaimed in public!

Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking, and it is one of the most common fears known to man. It also adds a certain element of dread to the many places in scripture where you are called to proclaim the goodness of God in public places. For example:

“I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you” (Ps. 35:18).

Some of you have heartburn and sweaty palms just reading that. You want to praise and give thanks, but just not from a grand stage or to any throng of people!

The good news for you is that much of the Christian walk happens away from the limelight. Much of your calling is lived out in the still small places of solitude, the comfort of family, or behind-the-scenes service to others.

The even better news—though it may for you be wrapped in what appears to be bad news—is that you are quite likely to be called upon to proclaim His name “in the great assembly.”

When that day comes, you should act as though you’ve been there before. And the best way to act as though you’ve been there before is to have actually been there countless times before in the quiet of your prayer closet.

Matthew 6:6 tells us to pray in secret and that God will reward us. In context, this is a reminder to pray not for the attention of men, but for the glory of God. It is a call to humility and reverence.

It is also preparation for the great assembly.

If you make it a regular habit to commune with your God, listen for His voice, and to understand the character of His being, you will be fully prepared to speak to kings or the great assembly, because you will have already been there many times before!

Truthfully, if you ask an accomplished public speaker why he or she is so comfortable speaking in public, you will have a few who tell you they have just always been that way—they were born with it, so to speak. But you will have a great many more point to practice and preparation. They will tell you the moment doesn’t overwhelm them because they’ve been there many times before—not just on the grand stage in the great assembly, but in the quiet of their study or prayer room, sitting with the message they are to share. That preparation has yielded a comfort with and a confidence in the material they then stand to deliver.

As you continue to heed the instruction to reject anxiety about speaking before kings, consider your time in the prayer closet. Consider both the quantity and the quality of your time with the King. If necessary, make the adjustments needed such that, when called into the great assembly, you will be able to say,

“I’ve been here before.”

The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.