From Edie: Lori Hatcher helps writers discover how writing in faith helps Christian writers persevere through ordinary days, trust God's timing, and find lasting victory in faithful obedience.
by Lori Hatcher
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
My husband, David, and I were walking across a grassy baseball field one sunny afternoon when he pointed to a huge nest sitting atop one of the light poles that ringed the field. High above the nest soared two red-tailed hawks.
As we watched, a third hawk climbed to the edge of the nest and leaped. It flapped its wings, caught an updraft, and gracefully rose to join the others.
Who hasn’t wondered what it feels like to fly? What would it feel like to have the wind beneath our wings, the sun on our face, the rush of height and speed?
The closest I’ve come to flying (commercial airline flights notwithstanding) has been riding a rollercoaster. Or maybe racing my bicycle at breakneck speed down the biggest hill in town. Braver friends than I have described parasailing adventures, hot air balloon rides, and skiing.
The next best thing to flying is running. Think of Olympians who churn forward on powerful legs, their feet barely touching the ground. Some sail over hurdles. Others pass batons to their waiting teammates. A few break world records and earn gold medals.
Walking, compared to flying or running, is decidedly less glamorous. One clunky step after another. Walking is often slow, methodical, and decidedly ungraceful. Tethered to earth by gravity, most humans spend day after day plodding from one place to another as we move through our daily lives.
I’m surprised Isaiah included walking in his glorious description of the believer who hopes in the Lord: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
I understand why believers need supernatural help to soar. And to run. But why would we need God’s help to walk? Compared to flying or running, walking requires much less strength and stamina.
Or does it?
Let’s apply this spiritual metaphor to our writing life. Some writers can describe a time when they soared—a season when the writing life was effortless and glorious. Their words flowed like chocolate syrup over ice cream. Acceptance letters piled up, and editors were knocking at their inbox with requests to publish.
Many recall times when they ran with strength and speed. They tackled the challenges of the writing life with seemingly boundless enthusiasm.
Flying and running days, however, are the exception for most writers. We spend most of our writing life walking.
Walking is the spiritual discipline of getting up every day and taking steps in the right direction. It’s the daily grind of the writing life. It’s the monotony of rewrites and the minutiae of edits—what we do when only God and our computer sees.
It’s choosing to walk with God faithfully, base our writing in His Word, and selflessly serve our readers. It’s writing in the margins of our life so we don’t neglect our family. Learning our craft, welcoming critique, and spending our birthday money on conferences instead of cruises.
It’s writing as unto the Lord, even if no one says thank you. It’s showing up with a smile at other writers’ launch events and treating our commitment to our readers as a job, not a hobby. It’s seeking God’s glory, not our own.
Walking is praying for days, months, and years for God to make a way for the message He has laid on our heart. It’s writing with gentleness and integrity, persevering in faith when all doors seem closed.
Walking is lingering in God’s Word, savoring His presence, and listening for His gentle whisper in our soul before we write.
When we write in faith, God works in us to make us more like Jesus. He fills our hearts with joy and uses us as His instrument of healing and hope to those around us.
Flying is amazing. Running is glorious. But writing in faith, day after day, can be our place of greatest victory.
Thankfully, God promises that if we hope in the Lord and ask Him to supply the strength we need, He’ll help us walk and not faint.
Every single day.
Until He returns or calls us home.
TWEETABLE
This post is adapted from Lori Hatcher’s latest devotional, Walking in Faith: 60 Devotions to Renew Your Strength, © 2026 by Lori Hatcher. Used by permission of Our Daily Bread Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 49501. Further distribution is prohibited without permission from Our Daily Bread Publishing at permissionsdept@odbm.org.
Lori is an Our Daily Bread author, writing instructor, women’s ministry speaker, and career healthcare professional. She and her pastor-husband live delightfully close to their four grandchildren in Lexington, SC. Connect with her at LoriHatcher.com.

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Amen. Thank you for this beautiful and inspiring message.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteLori, this ministered in a way you might not have anticipated. As I'm nearing the end of one novel (turning in next month), my mind is turning to the next. Part of me thinks maybe I'm too old, then the Lord whispers to my heart. I have decided to listen and keep going.
ReplyDelete