20/20 Vision for Writing in the New Year

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

I don’t really like making resolutions, because then I’m disappointed in myself when I forego them even before the calendar flips to the second month of the year. But I do like to set goals and daydream about my writing year ahead. 

This year, with the uniqueness of a new decade and a few memes already floating around about “the year of perfect vision” – I decided to peruse God’s word for scriptures about “eyes” and “sight.” I examined the verses to see what insightI could glean about my writing. (Yeah, I went there … but now that that’s over, I’ll try not to make a spectacle of myself and just focus on the vision.)

Here were some of my favorites:

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Psalm 119:18 NLT

Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Mark 8:25 NIV

Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions. Proverbs 4:25 TPT

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. Psalm 101:3 KJV

For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 NASB

And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” Habakkuk 2:2-3 MSG

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV

For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. Job 34:21 ESV

Once I found my favorites, I put them together in a prayer for perfect writing vision in the first year of the new decade. 

Dear God, 

As a new year dawns and I ponder the path of my writing journey, open my eyes to your Word and the words that you want me to write. Restore my sight and set my mind on the writing tasks you have for me, overcoming past rejections with wisdom learned from those attempts. 

Help me see clearly your plans and your will for my writing journey. Help me write with purpose, diligently and obediently, ignoring the distractions that seek to take me off the path you’ve planned. Keep my eyes and mind and heart from every evil, so that I can truly focus on you and your goodness. 

Help me walk by faith, God, when acceptances don’t appear in my timeframe. Please give me the words to write your vision, words that point to you and bring all praise and glory and honor to you. 

I thank you in advance, God, for the writing successes that will come my way this year, in whatever form that takes – from friendships with fellow writers to an enhanced relationship with you through my prayers to opportunities to share the gospel and change lives through my writing to the possibility of mentoring other writers and maybe, just maybe to the chance of a writing contract.

God, I take comfort in knowing that your eyes are always on me. Please help me keep my eyes on you, with perfect vision, throughout all of 2020.

Amen.

Do you have a writing prayer this year? I’d love for you to share that prayer below.

Happy New Year! May God grant you writing clarity and bless your writing exceedingly and abundantly throughout the days ahead! 

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Julie Lavender loves an excuse for a celebration, and the month of November reminds her to count blessings all the way to the Thanksgiving feast with family and friends. She is especially grateful this month for two book blessings: the recent release of Come and Behold Him, a co-authored book with Michelle Cox, prolific author who pens the When God Calls the Heart series, devotional books based on the content of the television show, “When Calls the Heart.” The devotional is available at Amazon, Target, and bookstores. And, the manuscript for her first book with Revell Books, Baker Publishing Group, is due on November 15 to editor Vicki Crumpton, whom Julie first met at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference three years ago. 

Besides writing for her local newspaper, Julie contributes to Guideposts Publications, other magazines, a couple of homeschooling blogs, Just18Summers.com, and many compilations. Combining her education degree, love of homeschooling, and joy of celebrating, Julie wrote a devotional entitled, 365 Days of Celebration and Praise, a party planning book called, Creative Sleepovers for Kids, and three teacher resource books for the religious division of Carson-Dellosa. Julie and David are enamored with their four adult children, one son-in-love, and one gorgeous grandson. Keep up with Julie on social media and at her blog at julielavender.blogspot.com.