How to Draw Close to God While Writing

Today I’m posting about drawing close to God while writing as a contributor and host of the Blogger Voices Network. It’s a place where Christian women bloggers can gather for support and encouragement. You can link your posts up on Fridays and join the Facebook community for daily encouragement.

Writing is one of the most challenging endeavors you’ll face. But it can be one of the most rewarding too, especially as you draw close to God while you write.

The Power of Writing

If God has called you to be a writer, it means you are called to minister to others through your words. What a precious privilege! Words have the power to change lives. You can literally change someone’s life through the words you write.

Think about the writers who have changed your life for the better. These are the writers who have blessed me with their words:

• Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, whose books have helped me recover from passivity and people pleasing.
• Dr. David Clarke, Dr. James Dobson and Dr. Gary Chapman whose marriage advice helped me overcome a separation.
• Stormie O’Martian and Beth Moore, who have taught me about the power of prayer.
• Jerry Bridges and Richard Foster, who have instructed me in spiritual disciplines.
• C.S. Lewis, Philip Yancey and John Eldredge, who have helped me ponder deep spiritual truths with unflinching honesty.
• Suzanne Eller and Tracie Miles, who have taught me how to heal from past hurts.
• Cheri Gregory and Amy Carroll, who have helped me recover from perfectionism.
• Francine Rivers, Anthony Doerr, and Marilynne Robinson, who have used the power of fiction to show me fascinating sides of humanity.
• Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway, who gave me a deep appreciation for American literature.
• John Keats, T.S. Eliot, W.B. Yeats, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Robert Frost, who helped me fall in love with poetry.

This is just a partial list of authors who have influenced me. Their words have made indelible marks on my heart, just as many authors have made impressions on yours. Your words also have the power to make marks on others’ hearts.

The Ministry of Writing

Writing is also an awesome responsibility. The Bible says that to whom much is given, much is required in Luke 12:48 NIV. Your calling as a writer is a high calling, because you are ministering to others. You must draw close to God as a minister of words.

Just this week, I received an email from a new subscriber in South Africa. She was searching for treatment for an illness, and my name popped up in her search. Even though I don’t write about the illness, I suppose an SEO keyword on my site matched her search. She read through my posts and “kept nodding her head” at the faith-based words.

Friend, we live in an amazing time of history. God used my words written near Cape Girardeau, Missouri to strengthen the faith of a woman in Cape Town, South Africa. The Holy Spirit connected these wildly different “Capes” for God’s glory. Through the incredible power of the internet, God can turn our words into a 24/7 ministry. How exciting!

Because the words on our blogs have such power, we must be intentional about how we use them. To use your words as a ministry, you must depend closely on God as you are writing. He will direct your words to reach into the hearts of the readers He has chosen for you.

Drawing Close to God While Writing

How do you draw close to God in your writing ministry? Here are six key takeaways for you:

Meet with God every day.

Every morning for the past 16 years, I’ve met with God using my One Year Bible. His Word directs my words. Meeting with Him every day has shaped my writing career like nothing else. It’s essential. If morning doesn’t work for you, pick another regular time to dig into His Word. You will never regret the time you spend alone with God and His Word.

Meditate on verses that inspire your writing. 

Choose a verse from your daily reading and meditate on it during the day. Today I mulled over a proverb, and it may turn into a book someday. Christian meditation can inspire and inform your writing while keeping you closely connected to God. You can watch a recent talk I gave at my local writers’ guild on the value of meditation for writers here.

Pray continually.

Ask God what topics to write about. He will provide you myriad answers. Keep your heart, eyes, and ears open for the hurts and hopes others express and use them in your writing (with permission). Pray regularly for your readers. Every Tuesday I send an exclusive devotion via email, and I pray for God to touch the hearts of my readers with the message He wants them to hear. Praying over your writing ministry keeps you close to God’s heart.

Never stop reading.

You can’t be an excellent writer unless you’re a devoted reader. I read dozens of blogs each week, and I read over 100 books every year. As you keep reading, you feed your knowledge base, which improves the quality of your writing. You also learn what to do and what not to do to reach your readers. Reading Christian material will strengthen your walk with God.

Join a community of Christian writers.

My growth has a writer has grown in tandem with my commitment to follow and support other bloggers and authors. Groups like the Blogger Voices Network exist to connect you with the body of Christ, which will fortify your purpose as a writer and boost your faith. I have found great fellowship in linking up with other bloggers and being a member of Compel Training.

Write every day.

This might be the hardest assignment. The enemy will attempt to thwart your calling as a writer by distracting you. Even if you can only write 100 words per day, stick to this commitment. The practice will help you find your writing voice. Most importantly, it will help you identify the topics and heart issues God wants you to write about. Some truths aren’t revealed until they are written out. Writing every day uncovers those marvelous surprises.

The Importance of Drawing Close to God as a Writer

If God has called you to a writing ministry, you are on the front lines of an invisible, worldwide spiritual battle. The enemy will attempt to steal your peace, hope, and joy as you write. You must commit to the six steps above to stand strong in your writing.

It’s common to feel discouraged, doubtful, lonely and defeated as a writer. I can’t think of any other industry in which rejection is a sign that you’re a professional. Talk about depressing! The enemy will try to defeat you with every unsubscribe, every blinking cursor on an empty screen, and every negative comment.

If you draw close to God while writing, He will help you weather these inherent trials.

Remember these five truths when you face writing battles:

• Your list of followers or subscribers belongs to God, not you. He will help it grow as you faithfully cultivate your list.
• The Gospel is offensive to those who aren’t open to hearing it. If you are writing about biblical truths, expect to get negative feedback from time to time.
• Writer’s block isn’t a curse. Drawing close to God and fellowshipping with other Christian bloggers will inspire your writing and decrease your loneliness.
• Rejections aren’t personal. If you get a rejection letter, it may be God’s protection over you. The timing may not be right or the matchup between you and a publisher may be wrong. Rejections are prompts to trust God even more.
• Your writing dreams matter to God. He will bring them to fruition in His perfect timing.

Your writing is more important than you may realize. As you draw close to God in your writing, He will reveal wonderful affirmations and blessings to you.

Don’t forget to sign up for the new Blogger Voices Network to receive even more encouragement!

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This post may be linked up at #sundaythoughts, #inspirememonday, #lmmlinkup, #teaandwordtuesday, #raralinkup, #coffeeforyourheart, #sittingamongfriends, #rechargewednesday,  #encouragingwordwednesday, #porchstories, #momentsofhope, #heartencouragement, #tuneinthursday, #gracemoments, #saltandlight, #destinationinspiration,  #dancewithjesus, #faithnfriends, #freshmarketfriday, #graceandtruth, and #faithonfire. I love the blogging community and consider these hosts my friends–please visit their sites and encourage them too!

Disclosure: If you purchase a book from a link on my page, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Your purchase helps me offset the costs associated with my writing ministry. Thank you in advance!

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