The Writer’s Furnace
By D.T.
Powell
All
writers face external challenges. Making time to write, having the resources to
pursue publication, finding needed information, breaking into a saturated
market—we face all this and more.
There is
no end to the obstacles hindering those of us in the writing world.
This is
where Christian writers have an advantage. When we face impossible stretches on
our writing journey—because we will go through rough times—we don’t do
it alone. On us is the strong hand of our Creator, who formed us just as He
wanted us to be. He uses each trial to teach us something about Him, and often
about ourselves.
I’ve
gotten to see this personally during multiple writing projects. When I don’t
have words, God brings the ones I need. When I don’t have the energy to write,
God either gives me restoring rest or He provides strength to go on, even
though I have no power to continue on my own. And each time God does this, I
get to see His faithfulness to me and His presence in every step of the writing
process.
Christian
writers face the temptation to focus on our human reasoning and resources to
finish the stories we begin. It’s natural to lean toward self-reliance, but
when we do that, we ignore the most potent source of wisdom, power, and
understanding.
In Daniel
3:16 & 17 (KJV), Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego address Nebuchadnezzar,
who has charged them to bow to a golden image of himself, or he will have them
cast into a “burning fiery furnace.” They tell the king, “We are not careful to
answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine
hand, O king.”
These
three young men could have given in to the king and saved themselves by doing
something that, to an average human who has no relationship with God, seems
perfectly reasonable—if not logical. But instead of leaning on their own
understanding, they remained faithful to God.
They were
thrown into the fire, just as the king promised. But then Nebuchadnezzar looked
into the flames, and said, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of
the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of
God.” (Daniel 3:25 KJV) Two verses later, we read, “And the princes, governors,
and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these
men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head
singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on
them.”
Not only
was the Son of God right beside these men during the worst recorded trial of
their lives, but He ensured that when they came out of the furnace, they didn’t
even smell of smoke. But I guarantee you those three men knew
acutely just how near God had been as they walked through those flames. And
that isn’t something easily forgotten.
No matter
what we as Christian writers face—whether it’s increasing publishing costs, an
inner critic that won’t quit, friends who don’t support our work, or anything
else that threatens to destroy us—God is there. As with Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, He may not pull us out of the fire immediately. He may choose to make
Himself irrevocably known as He stands shoulder-to-shoulder with us during each
nerve-scorching second in the furnace. Whatever He decides, He will never leave
us or abandon us to the consuming flames of trouble and fear. In Him, we have
hope and peace, and as we endure trials, we can rest in the truth that He is
with us. In Him, every story—every word in every sentence—can be an exercise of
joyful faith, even if it means walking through fire to write it.
Photo by Adhirej J R Nair on Unsplash
D. T. Powell has loved stories since before she can remember, and it was one of those stories that God used to change her life and prompt her to start writing. In addition to writing original contemporary and speculative fiction, as well as book reviews for a magazine, she has actively contributed to the fanfiction community since 2013. Her original work has been published by Writers Digest, Clean Fiction Magazine, Twenty Hills Publishing, The Order of the Pen Press, Worldsmyths, and Cadence Writing. She enjoys reading, playing pickleball, and the occasional video game. You can find her online as dtill359. Her favorite verse is Psalm 126:5, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”
Great devotion, D.T. And a wonderful reminder of why we write and Who for.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lori. Who and Why have always been topics close to my heart. I'm so glad to hear they resonated with you too. <3
DeleteThank you for your devotional. Reminds me that He will never leave us in our darkest hour.
ReplyDeleteHe most definitely will not. Hard times aren't anything we wish for, but it's amazing to see how God uses those times to pull us closer to Himself.
DeleteGood morning and it has been woke up this morning with that inner credit glad to read your post. Keep up the good work God bless
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