If the Lord has gifted you and called you to write, persevere. Don’t give up! He has called you to a vocation that involves much time in the wilderness. Writing for the Lord usually includes long periods of invisibility and seasons of hardship.
As a writer, you are a proclaimer of truth, a prophet. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,” Revelation 19:10 informs us. Writers testify, giving testimony to the work of Jesus in our lives, the message of God’s Word, and the calling and impact of the Gospel.
Pause to consider the prophets. Now consider the apostles and the earliest disciples. Reflect upon the lives they lived. Let your mind scroll through your inner files.
None lived easy lives. Proclaimers of truth never do.
Elijah faced down the prophets of Baal, and then he ran for his life from Jezebel, overcome with terror. Jeremiah proclaimed a message no one wanted to hear, so they threw him into a cistern where he sank into the mud until he nearly suffocated. When he was rescued, he continued his mission. Stephen proclaimed the gospel to a hardened people. They stoned him. Paul was stoned, beaten, broken, and shipwrecked, and then he gave his life for the sake of the gospel when Nero beheaded him.
Don’t let this scare you. The Lord is with you. Don’t give up.
The Lord has said in Hebrews 13:5b-6 (ESV): “’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”
Writers must ponder life, the condition of mankind, and the whys and implications of actions. We must think. We must research. These very acts must involve periods of isolation, times of being alone to consider and to reflect, to dig and to discover, to realize and then to write.
Hardships come into our lives, so we can learn the lessons of reliance upon the Lord and the lessons of growth. Then, we’re able to take that message and hone it into a tool to be used mightily in the hands of the Lord.
Hardships come into our lives, so we can learn the lessons of reliance upon the Lord and the lessons of growth. #WriterLife Click To TweetWhy are we able to write fiction with great emotion, with insight into the inner pain and struggles of our characters? We write because we, too, have suffered. Why are we able to determine plot twists and calamities that must befall our heroes? We know, because we have seen the impact of these very events upon our own lives.
Writers must have a variety of experiences. Experience teaches. Lessons learned inform. Life lived and pain suffered produces strong storylines and impacts readers in powerful ways.
Writers must have a variety of experiences. Experience teaches. Lessons learned inform. #WriterLife Click To TweetThis is why we write, why we weave the testimony of Jesus into our stories in unique and individual ways. God made us to write. He called us to the task, and he equips us by shaping our lives with rich experiences.
So, don’t give up! Press on!
No matter the obstacle, stay true to this calling the Lord has built into your life. You won’t regret it when you see him face to face. He’ll welcome you with open arms, and the Lord who sees all that you experience in the darkness of night, the dark nights of the soul, and the dark times of suffering will repay you for all you’ve given, a reward heaped high and overflowing, an eternity with him in his very presence.
No matter the obstacle, stay true to this calling the Lord has built into your life. You won't regret it. #WriterLife Click To TweetDon’t give up. Lay aside the things that try to pull you from your calling.
With Paul, let us say: “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13b-14 ESV).
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These are encouraging words, Melinda. Indeed, the Lord is with us. Thanks for the little push to get back at it!
Always glad to come alongside to encouragement! Go forth and write, Beth!
Thank you for this beautiful explanation of why we, as writers, are need to pursue our calling. I’m always scared when I think back to how the lives of those who were called ended in the Bible, but you are right, “the Lord is with me.”
He is! He already knows our days from before there was even one of them. He knew us before time began. He envisioned who we would be, that we would be his, and that he would gift us to serve him. We need not fear! He is indeed with us! Thanks for commenting, Brittany!
You know, after reading this something popped into my head—there were no female authors of Scripture. That kind of hurts my heart, in some ways. Intellectually I know the reasons why there were no women called to author Scripture – they were not educated. Ouch. Does that sting just writing that or what? Yeah. So, I hear what you’re saying in this post – write we must!
I am thankful that I was born now, in a time of human history where women are allowed to be so much more. But for those who went before us, who were not even allowed to learn, I guess I can look at my life and the lives of other female authors I know (like you, of course!) and feel even more compelled to write what those women in our past couldn’t.
Yes, wow! We do live in a wonderful time. We can write, and the Lord uses us to do so much. Though the Scriptures seem to have all been written by men, women are featured in and throughout. Women are quoted – Mary and Elizabeth, Deborah and Miriam, Esther and Ruth and Rahab and Tamar. Esther and Ruth have entire books. Luke does such a good job informing us of the women who accompanied Jesus during his ministry, making it all possible as they prepared for lodging and meals and financial needs, and the ends of Paul’s letters list many women who served and led (deacons) in their local churches. Paul commissioned the deacon Phoebe to carry the letter to the Romans.
There is one theory postulating that Priscilla (of Priscilla and Aquila who educated Apollos in Corinth) could possibly be the author of Hebrews. It’s considered to be a fringe position, for we do not know for sure. No one knows. We do know that Hebrews was written with a unique voice, the first-century church accepted it as canon, and it was approved by all the earliest church fathers of that century. Priscilla was educated enough to instruct Apollos equally with Aquila. We know that. Could a woman have written Hebrews? Perhaps.
All the more reason for us to study and educate ourselves and to throw ourselves into this calling. It’s a gift and a blessing to be alive right now, at this time, when we can write and when it’s so easy to publish our words abroad.
I love how the Lord is sending me messages today. Thank you for this encouragement to keep writing. I love to write and have been published in magazines, devotionals and my first book was published in 2018. I will keep writing Christian inspirational romance, non-fiction and possibly another children’s book. 🙂
I’m glad you’re getting all of these messages! And I’m glad to be one of the messengers! You’re an excellent writer, and the Lord is blessing and multiplying your efforts, Melissa!
Great encouragement for today!
I’m glad it was timely! God bless you, sister!
Thanks for all your wonderful encouragement to us as writers. It can be a lonely and difficult road when we don’t have each other..
It really can! That’s one reason I’m glad for our little community of authors. We lift one another up!
Melinda, what a combination prophet-encourager-preacher-teacher for Christ you are! Thank you for these words helping us spur one another on in our most holy faith and the calling we have been given. As part of my morning prayers, I pray every day that God will speak through my writing and that it will reach the exact ones He intends it to reach, whether only a few or many. It is humbling and honoring to be a part of His Kingdom work. Write on, dear sister in Christ! Write on for Jesus!
That’s a good way to begin the day, praying for the Lord’s leading and guidance! The Lord blesses your ministry and multiplies your efforts. It’s a blessing writing for the Lord of the universe! Thank you for the encouragement, sister.
Thank you for encouraging us, dear Melinda.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
Thanks for stopping by, Wendy! I love encouraging other writers.
This is so encouraging to me today. I’ve been struggling with writing but know it’s my call. Timing is hard with littles at home, but I’m learning to write in the chaos, and God is showing me new things in the middle of real life I would not see otherwise. Thank you for writing and encouraging others to do the same.
God bless you, Elaine. You write beautifully! New things in the middle of real life are the best lessons. Press on with your writing as you find those gaps in the routine. Always carry a small notebook or write in the Notes section on your phone when things come to you. Seize the inspired thought or idea. Short pieces can become long later on, when time enlarges.
Thanks for this encouragement for a of us who were called to share & be generous with the gift of words- which God has given us! Beautifully written!
Thank you, Elizabeth! I’m often preaching to myself when I write what the Lord gives!
Such a timely post. THANK you, friend!
Thanks for stopping by! Praise the Lord!
I think I almost cried. You read my heart and the tendency to grow weary and discouraged. Thank you for lifting us all up and keeping us focused on the truth. Blessings, Melinda!
I write what the Lord gives me, so praise the Lord for uplifting words!
Thank you, Melinda. This is so powerful, “None lived easy lives. Proclaimers of truth never do.” So true! The enemy comes against us whenever we want to be bold for Christ. And the hardships of life should point us to Christ. Love how you mentioned the lessons writers learn so we weave Jesus into our writing. I think it was Beth Moore who said something like… I want to learn from this experience whatever the Lord intended because I don’t to take this same class again.
I’m glad these words encouraged you. I pray for guidance before I write, because the Lord knows who needs encouragement and what needs to be said. Simultaneously, I’m also writing the truth to preach to myself. Reminders of truth uplift us all!
That sounds like Beth Moore! Isn’t that the truth! When we don’t learn the lesson we end up in The School of Hard Knocks.
I love your encouragement! Thank you!
Thanks for stopping by, Julie!
Wow. So true. Writing my purity devotional book was very hard and plenty of spiritual warfare was involved after it came out. But, God is using it to change men and that makes it all worth it. Don’t give up and pray a lot during the writing.
Author of “Live Pure and Free-The 90 Day Game Changer” Tristan Publishing
That seems to be what happens with each book, article, or post we write that lifts up Jesus. We’re writing and publishing words that will turn people toward the Lord and impact lives. Congratulations on your book, Dave!
Thanks for the encouragement, Melinda! Fiction speaks to me. I love it! And now I’m writing it. Sometimes I feel like I was created and formed to do this. And I know it has blessed many people. Things I especially appreciated that you wrote: “As a writer, you are a proclaimer of truth, a prophet” (I never thought of it that way) and, “We write because we, too, have suffered.” Thank you for sharing this.
I’m glad I could encourage a fellow fiction writer. Fiction is the modern-day parable, and as such it is powerful. Jesus knows the value of storytelling. He used it so much! Press on in your writing, sister!
Thank you for this encouragement! I remind myself often of those God chose to do great things for Him. They had to wait decades for His promises to come to fruition. And He was always faithful! Thank you for this reminder. 🙂
That’s an uplifting thought! Yes, they did have to wait. We do, too. It’s a good reminder of that cloud of faithful witnesses who’ve gone on ahead of us. Thanks for commenting, Emily.
Thanks for all the encouragement! God bless!
You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by, Nancy. Thank you for your bold voice!