Spiritual Practices for Writers: The Practice of Trusting

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

Join me the first Sunday of each month this year as we examine twelve spiritual practices for writers.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lead not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

There is a kind of prayer called a prayer of intention. It is the practice of presenting oneself to the Lord and setting one’s intention toward Him in a specific way each day. The prayer of intention helps us practice trusting God on the writing journey.

Paying attention to what we think of first thing in the morning can reveal our heart’s natural intention. The thoughts that greet us upon waking can be the most honest thoughts we have all day. They tell us the truth about what we treasure most.

Am I even a writer at all?

Treasure: I want to be a writer, Lord.

I have to get at least 5000 words written today!

Treasure: My own strength.

I am a failure. That book is sitting there unfinished.

Treasure: My worth is in my ability to finish a book.

The truth about the global best-selling author and the unknown writer of unfinished books is the same:

God is our author and finisher. 

His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Our value originates from the fact we are loved by God. 

What the heart treasures drives intention. If I treasure my own strength, I will exhaust myself trying to accomplish. If I treasure the book I am trying to finish, I will use that same treasure to berate myself during a season of illness or trial when I am unable to write every day. What these natural treasures have in common is trust in me, not God.

It’s not wrong to want to be a writer, to set daily word-count goals, and to finish a book. But for the Christian writer, these goals must all lead us to the ultimate goal: glorifying God. There is so much more joy in being His writer, producing words in His strength, and finishing a book He asked me to write. 

I don’t know about you, but my good goals often become idols and I find myself bowing to them instead of God. They are cruel masters. The Lord is, however, kind.

The good news is that we can wrangle those unruly intentions and redirect them. When we practice trusting God each morning, our treasures are transformed.

Romans 12 invites us to present ourselves to God with intention. 

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God —which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).

When we first come to wakefulness in the morning, we can respond to our clamoring treasure-thoughts by presenting them to God:

Lord, I present myself to You today. I set my intention to trust You with who I am. I intend to rely on Your strength to write. I accept what I am able to do in Your strength today. Amen.

All through the day, as I think, write, and do with intention, I am at peace. I trust God, and my intentions follow. At the end of the day, I rest with the satisfaction that I worked with Him this day according to His will, and it was good. Tomorrow, I will do it again.

One day we will worship in heaven with Amy Carmichael, C. S. Lewis, and the many other great Christian writers who practiced trusting God. Together we will see clearly who we are, the impact of every word we wrote, and all will be finally finished.

How has the practice of trusting God transformed your writing? Join the conversation!

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Spiritual Practices for Writers: The Practice of Trusting from @AudreyCFrank on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Don't Miss The Previous Spiritual Practices for Writers!

January: The Practice of Planning

February: The Practice of Trusting

Audrey Frank is an author, speaker, and storyteller. The stories she shares are brave and true. They give voice to those whose words are silenced by shame, the hard things in life that don’t make sense, and the losses that leave us wondering if we will survive. Audrey and her family have spent over twenty years living and working among different cultures and world views, and she has found that God’s story of redemption spans every geography and culture. He is the God of Instead, giving honor instead of shame, gladness instead of mourning, hope instead of despair. Although she has three different degrees in communication and intercultural studies, Audrey’s greatest credential is that she is known and loved by the One who made her.

Audrey is the author of Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World (Harvest House Publishers), an outpouring of Audrey’s heart to introduce others to the God of Instead. Shame is not unique to the developing world, the plight of the women behind veils, young girls trafficked across borders; shame is lurking in hearts everywhere. Through powerful stories from women around the world, Covered Glory illuminates the power of the Gospel to remove shame, giving honor instead. Available at favorite booksellers: BARNES & NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION, AMAZON.