Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Work of Our Hands

Thursdays – Dawn’s Devotions for Writers

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.”
(Psalm 90:17 NIV)


Do you desire God to favor—honor the work of your hands?

I think we all do.

We spend countless hours researching, plotting, outlining, and writing our stories. Then we may ask a critique group, or hire an editor, to give suggestions on how to improve our work. We write and rewrite. Then one day we send a query letter, or submit a proposal, hoping that our story or article will be published.

We wait—and pray. We ask God to bless our work. We may even beg him to find favor with us and our submissions, and reward us with a sale.

After all, shouldn’t all that labor bear fruit?

Are you familiar with Facing the Giants, a film about faith and football? In the story, a coach at a Christian high school faces the possibility of his losing his job, while also struggling with disappoints on the home front.

One particular scene in this movie continues to impact me. A man in the community told the coach that he should prepare the fields in expectation of rain. In other words, the coach should continue serving, sharing Christ, and mentoring those kids, (preparing the fields) and God would bless him, his family, and the team (the rain).

We need to do our part so God can do his. We need to do the work!

Prepare your own fields. Study the craft, be open to critique, network, read, and write, write, write. Step out in faith, believing that God will honor your efforts. The rain will come.

Have a great week!

Dawn