Glimpsing God in the Frustrations of the Writer’s Life
By Lori Hatcher @LoriHatcher2
Do you ever wonder what in the world God is doing in this
crazy writing life?
God, why
did I work so hard on that article only to have it
rejected?
God, why
was that piece chosen, but the one I really love not selected?
God, why
did I spend nine months of my life on that project, only to have it sit in my
computer going nowhere and reaching no one?
God, why
do you fill my head with ideas to write about and wake me up in the middle of
the night, then don’t grow my blog as quickly as I’d hoped?
God, if
I’m obeying your call to write, why is it so hard?
God, what
are you doing in this crazy writing life of mine????
If you can relate to any of these questions, there’s hope. Hope
that comes, of all places, from the book of Job.
Imagine that.
God is laughing already.
Who would think that a man who had lost ten children in a
tragic accident, went from millionaire to pauper in a day, and was married to a
cruel, faithless woman would have any hope to offer? But in God’s upside down
economy, it’s not surprising at all.
My latest
devotional, Refresh Your Faith (due out in the spring of 2020 with Discovery House)
spotlights uncommon verses buried in every book of the Bible. Job 26:14 is one
of them. In the twenty-sixth chapter of the book that bears his name, he
rehearses for his “miserable comforters” the might, power, and majesty of God.
“He hangs the earth on nothing,” he says. “He binds up the
water in His thick clouds . . . He stirs up the sea with His power . . . By His
Spirit He adorned the heavens . . . "(v. 7-13).
Then he concludes with this awe-struck realization: “Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a
whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?"
The mere
edges of his ways.
I grew up on the rocky shores of Narragansett Bay in Bristol,
Rhode Island. I’d often sit at the shoreline, walk in the shallows, or swim out
until my feet barely touched the bottom. Because I had lived around the sea all
my life, I thought I knew it well.
Then one day I boarded a ship that took me hundreds of miles
off shore, where the water stretched from horizon to horizon and the ocean
floor lay miles beneath me. Only then did I begin to understand the true nature
of the ocean. Before that, I had experienced the mere edges – and how small a
whisper they had been.
After pointing out our nearsighted perspective, Job lifts the
fog on the ocean of God’s ways: “But the thunder of his power, who can
understand?”
Paul, in First Corinthians, says it like this: "No eye
has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for
those who love him” (2:9). And, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror”
(13:12).
As Christian writers bound to the earth by our mortality, we glimpse
only the mere edges of His ways. And hear only small whispers of Him.
But one day we’ll sail out into the vast expanse of no-time
life. We’ll hear the clarion call of His mighty voice. We’ll witness the
thunder of His power. And we will understand.
Every word typed in obedience to Him? Seed for the harvest.
Every hour spent hunched over a keyboard? Sandpaper smoothing
the edges.
Every late night and early morning session? A fragrant
offering.
Every pitch and proposal sent out for His glory? Stepping
stones on the journey.
Job can speak into our angst and impatience because he, too,
was a frustrated author. He shared our desire to see our words published. He,
too, wanted others to benefit from the insight he had received. “I wish that my
words were recorded and inscribed in a book,” he lamented in Job 19:23.
I’m not sure what steps his publishing journey included (I
suspect it contained a Ghost writer), but I know none of his experiences or his
words were wasted. Even today, thousands of years later, God still uses his
insight to encourage us along the way.
Perhaps, one day, God will use our words to do the same.
“God is not unjust,” the writer of Hebrews promises, “He will
not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people
and continue to help them” (Heb. 6:10).
Now it’s your turn. What verse encourages you when you feel
discouraged? Leave a comment and encourage us all.
(Photos courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Stuart Miles, and tiramisustudio.)
TWEETABLE
Lori
Hatcher is the editor of Reach Out,
Columbia magazine and the author of several devotional books. Hungry for
God … Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women won the 2016
Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year award. Her most recent book, Refresh Your Faith – Uncommon
Devotions from Every Book of the Bible is due out in early 2020. A blogger, writing
instructor, and inspirational speaker, her goal is to help women connect with
God in the craziness of life You’ll find her pondering the marvelous and the
mundane on her blog, Hungry for
God. . . Starving for Time . Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter (@LoriHatcher2),
or Pinterest (Hungry for
God).
Your words are always inspirational and meet me wRite ... oops ... right where I'm at! See you soon!
ReplyDeleteThis was very encouraging.
ReplyDelete