God's Promises to Writers Series

The Right Words at the Right Time
God's Promises to Writers Series, I
Net's Notes Tuesdays

Welcome to Net’s Notes Tuesday here at Seriously Write. Annette here. Today I’m starting a new series on God’s promises to writers. Isn’t it great to know God, who has called you, will supply all your need according to His riches in Christ Jesus? When God calls us to do something, He equips us as we cooperate with Him. When He sent out the 70 to heal the sick and cleanse the lepers and cast out demons, He gave them specific directions. Don’t take extra provision (read: trust God to provide for your needs). The same is true for writers who are seeking to glorify God.

Stop and take a moment and consider the single most important thing you need right now as a writer. For each of us, the answer may be different. Some might mention a better technique or a higher level of vocabulary. Some might say they need a new laptop or an office to work from. Some might request fellowship with other writers in order to feel supported and gain valuable feedback. Personally, I’m asking for God’s anointing. His words flowing through my hands so they’ll have the most impact possible.

As Christian writers, we aren’t guaranteed God’s words, but if we stay dependent upon Him and stay connected to Him through His Word and through prayer and worship, we can ask for His words and His will and receive them by faith.

Here’s what His Word has to stay about that:

The Lord Jehovah has given Me the tongue of the learned, to know to help the weary with a word. He wakens morning by morning, He wakens the ear to hear as the learned. (Isaiah 50:4)

And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words. (Matthew 10:19)

Isn’t that comforting?

Recently, I watched a discussion online about logging daily words on our manuscripts. What say you? Do you try to reach a certain word count goal every day? Do you ever worry the words won’t be there? Or face writer’s block? You can prepare your outline (if you use one) and consider your characters and their motives ahead of time. But what if the words still won't come? You’ve got everything lined up: tension, conflict, characters, dialogue and still the words aren’t there. It’s time to lean on God’s promise for His provision of words.

The same is true for non-fiction writers. You can have everything in order. Chapter title, theme, experience, illustrations, etc., but that's no guarantee of the right words. Time to press in. Ask God for His anointing, for His words to flow through your fingers.

Aren’t you glad we can count on God to provide us with the words we need to finish our books (first draft and rewrites)? His promises are for you, His writer.