From Edie: Discover how to let go of control and trust God’s plan for your writing. Learn to walk in patience, faith, and purpose—without wrestling against His timing.
Wrestling with God’s Writing Plan: How to Trust His Timing and Purpose for Your Words
by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod
For years, my youngest brother loved wrestling. But wrestling with God’s writing plan? Well, that’s another story.
Where my brother’s love for wrestling came from, I’m not sure. And I’m not talking about the type of wrestling that happens on wrestling teams at schools. I’m speaking of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), WWF (World Wrestling Federation), and AWA (American Wrestling Association). The ones where the wrestlers, although multi-talented and quite robust, are actors playing out a script and agreeing ahead of time about who will win.
However, none of that mattered. My brother never believed this type of wrestling was “real.” He just enjoyed the show. And so did my mom, my middle brother, and I. So much so, in fact, that we drove on more than one occasion to the seedier parts of one town to watch the actors act out their matches.
We weren’t the only ones who loved the theatrics. Some may have refused to believe the matches were “fake,” but many, like us, knew they were. Yet, like us, they paid good money for tickets, munched down on concessions, drove for long distances, and enjoyed the show. Something about wrestling kept us coming back in person and watching on television.
Somehow, however, I don’t believe Jacob enjoyed his wrestling match. “This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break” (Genesis 32:24 NLT).
Jacob was on a return trip to meet the brother he had cheated out of a birthright and a blessing. He had no assurance that this scorned brother would accept his peace offering and offer him forgiveness instead of revenge. Thankfully, he did.
Jacob had to wrestle with God if he was going to fulfill God’s plan for his life: to be the father of the nation of Israel (what God changed his name to). Jacob was a heel-grabber, a supplanter, from the beginning. God had a plan for him, but he tried to shortcut it, thinking he knew better than God.
Jacob wasn’t the last God-grappler. The last one to think he knew better than God or that his way was superior to God’s. The last one to attempt to supplant God’s sovereignty. We’re all tempted at times to think we know better than God—or that our time frame will work more efficiently. And we writers aren’t exempt.
The path to good writing and publishing does have variables and options—perhaps more now than ever. However, it also shares some commonalities. Among them are exercising patience, learning the ropes of the writing and publishing business, praying for God’s direction, making the right contacts, accepting rejection, and following God’s plan instead of our own.
Our plans and timing are never better than God’s. We may wrestle with God’s plan—causing ourselves much frustration in the process—but we’ll only waste the effort and time we could save if we would go God’s way in the beginning.
I’ve had a few wrestling matches with God myself—some in my writing journey—but none I’d care to repeat. God always comes out on top. This is not to say that wrestling can’t teach us valuable lessons, but the consequences of doing things our way often outweigh any benefits. Better to go with God than wrestle against him.
Rather than wrestling with God over your writing journey, obey his plan and timing.
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