Spiritual Practices for Writers: The Practice of Waiting

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

Join me the first Sunday of each month this year as we examine twelve spiritual practices for writers. Links for each successive month are found at the end of the post.

Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me hope (Psalm 62:5, NET).

We writers do a lot of waiting.

We are waiting for the words to come. Waiting for acceptance from agents, editors, and publishers. Waiting for our kids to grow up so we’ll have time to write that book. Waiting for the right time and place to finish that unfinished manuscript. Waiting.

After a long period of writer-waiting, I saw three books published within a few months of each other. Then tragedy struck our family, and I found myself by a hospital bed, waiting. The long-awaited books seemed grotesquely unimportant in the struggle between life and death.

In that dark place, a question forever reframed waiting for me.

Is God sovereign, or is He not?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines sovereignty as “having the highest power.” Merriam-Webster adds, “possessed of supreme power, unlimited in extent.”

Does God have higher power than the place in which I find myself now? Is He possessed of supreme power, unlimited in extent, over my hopes and dreams, dashed though they may seem sometimes? Does He have the power to take my words where they need to go, even if something stops me in my well-planned tracks?

Is God sovereign, or is He not?

There is no middle ground. God is either sovereign over everything or nothing. My answer to this question will determine who I wait on.

The practice of waiting on God is a liberation. The Psalmist knew it. Andrew Murray wrote about it. His classic Waiting on God has led many an impatient soul to freedom. 

Who are you waiting on today, dear writer?

Practice the choice of waiting on God alone. I wonder how it might transform your care-strewn heart and hesitating pen.

Let me know!Lord, I am always waiting, it seems. Teach me to wait on You alone and to trust Your loving sovereignty over everything in my life. Amen.

TWEETABLE

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

Don't Miss The Other Spiritual Practices for Writers!

JANUARY: THE PRACTICE OF PLANNING

FEBRUARY: THE PRACTICE OF TRUSTING

MARCH: THE PRACTICE OF HOPING

APRIL: THE PRACTICE OF WAITING

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.