Thursdays - Devotions for Writers
“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will
give you the desires of your heart.”(Psalm 37:4 NIV)
In Facing the Giants, a new student has soccer skills, but has never played football. He desires to try out for the football team as a kicker, but is afraid of failing. His father reminds him that since he’s currently not on the team, if he doesn’t make it, nothing will have changed, so there’s no harm in trying.
How does this relate to writing?
God wants to fulfill our desires. But first, we need to focus on pleasing Him. Then we need to follow that up with action. If we don’t work hard and submit to editors or agents, we don’t stand a chance of seeing publication. God can’t give us the desires of our heart if we don’t take the steps necessary for Him to do His part. And if we do receive a rejection, we’re really no worse off than we were before. We may have actually learned a few things in the process.
Here on Seriously Write, our Fortifying Fridays are devoted to authors sharing their journeys to publication. It’s a wonderful feature because it shows that most journeys take time, they aren't always easy, and no experience is the same. They are all unique, just as each writer is unique - with the exception that each success story begins with a desire.
The verse for today says we must delight in the Lord and then He will give us our desires. We need to be sure ours are in line with God’s will. Success may bring with it great contracts, a high volume of sales, and our name being known in the industry and to many readers across the country. But it should be a by-product of our writing – not the reason to write.
Search your heart. What do you really desire?
Dawn
