How Do I Speak About Jesus When I’m Scared or Unprepared?

By Jessica Brodie

I crossed my legs casually and glanced at the order of events—and almost gasped. My name, there, on the list of speakers. What in the world…?

While I’d spoken for the group in the past, no one had asked me to speak that year, and I’d prepared absolutely nothing. I was lucky I was even dressed appropriately. Maybe it’s a mistake, I thought, a typo. Maybe they goofed, somehow reprinted last year’s program…

Nope. No mistake. Moments later, the emcee was calling my name, introducing me, and then I found myself walking to the podium, my megawatt smile disguising my shock.

I said a quick prayer to God. “Use me, God. Please, just give me the words to say.”

I opened my mouth...

And the next thing I knew twenty minutes had passed and I was bowing to a standing ovation. What just happened? I blinked as I smiled around the room.

Days later, reading the Bible, I had my answer. I’d asked God to use me, and use me, God did. He’d activated the power of the Holy Spirit in my heart, mind, and soul—it was the Holy Spirit who’d gotten that standing ovation, not me.

In Luke 12, Jesus had been talking with his disciples about what they should expect, issuing warnings and encouragements about how they should conduct themselves as followers of His way, particularly after He was gone.

“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say,” Jesus said in Luke 12:11-12 (NIV).

That’s right: We’ve got a secret helper in our corner. The Holy Spirit.

One of the most comforting things to me about being a Christian is knowing that when I walk with God, when I believe and I’ve committed myself to His Son, Jesus, I get a new best friend who takes up residence in my heart. The Holy Spirit is my advocate, my helper, and my forever friend. He gives me power when I have none to do the will and the work of the Lord. If I ask Him, He’ll even give me the words when I feel speechless and fully incapable of uttering anything meaningful. He will put exactly the right words upon my lips that will defend the faith and fulfill God‘s glory.

Just like He did the day of my impromptu speech.

A lot of times in life I feel so much pressure to prepare, to get things just right. I agonize over the details, stay up late doing research, or word and reword things so they’re perfect.

But the truth is that on my own, I’m really nothing. Apart from God, I always fall flat. Yet when I ask, He takes this little piece of clay and molds it into whatever in the universe He needs.

As a follower of Jesus, I should never be surprised when I bring nothing to the table and yet God uses this single, small soul to do something magnificent.

If you’re ever in a position where you have no idea what to say or do, where your knees are shaking and your fingers are trembling and your heart threatens to seize up entirely, take heart. Just ask God to use you, and watch His magic unfold.

Just ask.

Prefer video? Check out Jessica’s YouTube devotional on this topic, here: