Dear God, help me remember WHO I am, for I’m YOUR CHILD

     Writing is what I do, but it is not who I am. I’M A CHILD OF THE KING! Yes, I’m a husband, father, preacher/teacher, and a writer–and these relationships are very important to me. However, there is no relationship that compares to the gracious privilege of being called a child of the Heavenly Father.

     And our Heavenly Father will never abandon or abuse, reject or refuse us! EVER!

     Fellow writer, hang on to this truth with relentless tenacity. We’re not writing about someone we don’t know, or about a deity we’re blindly pursuing. Rather, we’re stewards of story because we’ve been adopted–through faith in Jesus Christ–into Almighty God’s family. Published or unpublished, that’s not going to change. Best-seller or bargain bin, that’s not going to change. IN CHRIST WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE KING, because of our faith in His Living Word, not because of our ability to produce our written ones.

• John 1:12:  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”
•  Romans 8:14-16:  “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”
• I John 3:1:  “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are…”

     And how did Jesus teach us to begin the “Lord’s Prayer”?

     I’m writing christian fiction because of my relationship to God. I want to use the truths from my Heavenly Father’s Word to shine light into darkness. I’m not crafting stories to earn God’s love. If you’re a Christian writer, God already loves you as His child. In fact, it’s impossible for Him to love you more than He does now.

     So as we sit down to write, let’s think of our Heavenly Father–He’s the all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful One Who sent His Son to save our souls. Strive to tell people about Him. Yearn for others to Know Him.

     So, fellow writer, ask God to help you remember that YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE! That ought to give us something to write about, huh?

“Dear God, help me remember…”

     Holidays. Memorials. Observances. Anniversaries.

     All of these things exist to help us recall something. These important remembrances rekindle our allegiance, renew our awareness, and refresh our relationships. Old Testament believers built their lives around yearly activities that would remind them of God’s dealings in their lives. In the New Testament, Jesus gave us what we call “the Lord’s Supper” and told us to observe it in remembrance of Him. Even baptism causes us to recall the death, burial, and resurrection of our precious Lord. And Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter…please!!! Wow!

     The Writer’s Prayer that we are looking at is a way to keep a writer focused; to give our memories four windows through which we can view our incredible calling to write for God. We ask God to remind us of the Who, What, Where, and Why of the writer’s journey.

     The work of a writer can be hard, lonely, and often exhausting. We sometimes question our calling, and our value. But then God lets a drop of refreshment fall into our lives; gracious reminders of the things that cause us to love the task. And passion pumps through us again.

     And often times it’s not that we’re learning a new truth or experiencing an original eureka moment. Rather it’s that God is reminding us of a precious truth that has blessed our souls many times before, and, undoubtedly, will bless us many more times in the future. After all, God’s truths are timeless. It’s why we can read the Bible over and over and still find living blessings in familiar passages. It’s why ten writers can tell ten different sotires about the same topic.

     Writers want to tell exciting stories. We want to capture our reader’s attention, and hold it carefully. But are we doing that by revealing a new truth? Are we unveiling an idea that has never been seen before in the history of fiction? Probably not. And that’s okay. Our great task is to illustrate grand old truths in fresh ways. What an awesome calling and responsiblity it is to be a steward of story.

     Never forget how much God loves you. Never forget that He has entrusted you with something incredible. Never forget the reasons you wrote your first story, and the lessons you’ve learned since then. Never forget that someday we will see the One for Whom we write! Never forget that what we write REALLY does matter. And never forget that God will not call a person to write without also equipping them to do so.

   So as we move forward, and uncover the important truths in this Writer’s Prayer, let’s ask God to “help us remember.” I can’t wait until Monday!

Looking past the Almighty

     Great people of faith (see Hebrews 11) must look upon our generation in utter dismay. For them, coming into the presence of ALMIGHTY GOD was the greatest–and most reverent–experience of their lives. They longed for it and feared it at the same time. Many more imagined, but never enjoyed an encounter with their Creator. High Priests were given the singular honor of entering the Holy of Holies, perhaps only once in their lifetime. Once!

     Can you imagine this conversation?

     “Howdy, Zechariah.”

     “Greetings, Brother Big-name-that-I-can’t-pronounce. Anything exciting happened for you lately?”

     “Not really. Just chasing sheep all day. You?”

     “Well, actually this week has been rather bland. I whitewashed my ox-cart on Monday…had lunch with the in-laws on Tuesday…met with God on Wednesday–”

     “You’re kidding!”

     “About what?”

     “You actually whitewashed your ox-cart? That’s great!”

     No one would take a meeting with God so lightly…right? How was your prayer time today? The fact is many times I either neglect to take advantage of one of the greatest–and most undeserved–privileges ever extended to me, or I enter into it with little sense of awe. That’s why this “Writer’s Prayer” is so important to me. I don’t get too far into it before I’m reminded that I’m talking to God.

     “Dear God,…”

     As a writer, I must always remember that God is my first reader. More than that, He is the reason I write and the One that I want to please before anyone else. He’s the One that uses the stories, in ways that I can’t imagine, according to His purposes. I’m His steward, but the truth and light that I hope fill my writing are His.

     God invites us into His presence, and allows us the gracious honor of coming any time we choose. I hope we don’t overlook this incredible offer. It’s significant. It matters. In fact it’s essential.  So before we write stories that talk about God, let’s talk to God about our stories.

No Identity Crisis

     I love mottos, bumper stickers, and other pithy uses of words. They’re like darts. A few are going to stick, maybe even hit the bullseye. Regardless, creating something that helps keep our minds focused, or at least gives our memories a helping hand, can be important.

     With that in mind, I share with you a prayer motto that I created many years ago. For a long time I applied it to my ministry as a preacher/teacher. Now I’ve chosen to also use it as a guide for my ministry as a writer. Over the next several posts, I’m going to take each part individually. But for now, I invite you to make the entire prayer yours also.

    “Dear God,

     Please help me remember:

          WHO I am, for I’m YOUR CHILD.

          WHAT I am, for I’m YOUR AMBASSADOR.

          WHERE I am, for I’m IN YOUR SIGHT.

          WHY I am, for I’m FORGIVEN.

     In Jesus name, amen.”

     I hope you’ll join me as we unpack this prayer in future posts.

Exciting and Scary!

Is there anything more exciting–or scarier–than sitting down to write a novel? How about letting other people read it? This is the experience that I’ve had and I can’t wait to share it with you. Over the next four posts, I’m looking forward to sharing a “writer’s prayer” with you, and I hope it will bless and challenge you. I’m going to break it up into four parts, so we can look at this prayer motto in detail. Let’s start the journey! Okay?