God’s Calling to Write
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
Have you ever read an article, book, or story that really touched your heart? Did you ever think about what had to happen for that piece to get into your hands?
Before you could read it, someone had to buy it from someplace. That place had to purchase it from a publisher, who had to get it from an author. Before that, the author had to have the idea to write it. Even before that, God had to touch that author’s heart with a call to write.
God knows how long it takes to get a manuscript written (and rewritten, revised, edited, proofread), accepted, and published. He also knows who is going to need to read what He wants you to write, and He knows precisely when those people are going to need it.
Since God knows all that, and since His timing is perfect, we can relax! We can trust that He called us at the right time, and He gave us everything we need to fulfill His plan.
Think again about that piece you read that touched your heart. What if the author had let rejection letters or the cost of a writers’ conference or some critical comments from an editor crush her spirit so that she turned her back on God’s calling? Then the moment when God touched your heart would never have happened.
If God is calling you to write, that’s every bit as important as if He were calling you to a foreign missions field. Being a writer is a lot like being a missionary.
Missionaries go through extensive training, including learning the language and cultures of the countries they’re traveling to. Writers need to learn everything they can about how to best reach their target audience.
Missionaries need sponsors. Writers need people who can support them emotionally, financially, and through prayer.
Missionaries are often misunderstood. Your loved ones may question why you’re working so hard at something that seems to have so little reward.
Missionaries suffer squalid conditions and adverse circumstances because they believe in their calling. If God has called you to write, you may have to squeeze in writing time and costs among all your other priorities.
Missionaries are often rejected by the people they are trying to reach. If you submit queries, proposals, or manuscripts to publishing houses, you will be rejected. But you mustn’t let a few—or even several—rejections sway you from the task God has called you to.
A missionary can reach many people. An author can reach countless individuals through a book or article or story.
If God is calling you to be His witness through writing, you have His promise to receive power from the Holy Spirit to fulfill that task.
May 8, 2018 @ 6:37 am
Thank you! I am so much encouraged with you♥
September 10, 2020 @ 11:18 pm
But how do I know if I’ve been called to write. How do I know ifvhe wants me to write? How do I know if my writing pleases him.
September 11, 2020 @ 11:14 am
These are common questions for Christians who feel inspired to write … or whose friends/family are encouraging them to write. First, pray. Ask God to speak to your heart about this. If you feel a nudging of the Holy Spirit, start writing what you sense him urging you to write about. Don’t worry at this point whether it’s “good enough.” Just write whatever comes to your mind and heart. Perhaps your writing at this juncture is simply like journalling, for your own benefit and catharsis. Maybe it will be something you feel God encouraging you to share with a friend or family member(s). If at that point you feel drawn to do more with it, start reading books and online articles about how to write for publication. Connect with Christian writers groups online. Find some critique partners and exchange chapters with them. Do a search for writers’ conferences you can attend (virtually if not in person)–go to them, connect with other writers and industry professionals, and learn about the publishing industry. In each of these steps, learn and study and apply what you pick up to your manuscript … continually praying for the Lord to lead you to the next step if he wants you to proceed. When you have your manuscript as polished as you can get it, send it to a professional freelance editor for additional polishing (and to learn even more about writing techniques you can apply to this manuscript and everything else you may write). Then submit your manuscript to agents or publishers based on what you learned along the journey about the publishing industry.
As with everything else in life, read and study God’s Word daily, pray often, and ask the Lord to guide you on the path he has for you. If you’re not sure whether your writing (or anything else you do) pleases him, ask him. Take your writing before the throne, offer it to him, and ask him what he wants you to do with it. In addition, ask other Christians you respect to read what you’ve written and offer their opinions. God can guide you through the words of others in addition to speaking directly to your heart as you pray.