Dear Writer, I hope you had a beautiful week and considered how God might be using formative moments from your life to shape your writing! This week, we’re exploring how God’s grace functions, and why we must have it as writers…
You see, there can be a tendency as believers to give lip-service to grace. To acknowledge its purpose but deny its power. That happens when we simply haven’t understood why God’s grace is given.
At heart, God’s grace is intended to help us accomplish impossible things. Things we could never do on our own. This grace is seen clearly when we begin our life with God as His grace works a salvation we could never earn.But here’s the thing: God’s grace functions the same way through our entire faith walk.
But before we dive in, let’s take a look at others who leaned into God’s grace to accomplish impossible things…
What Grace Is for in History
Abraham Lincoln is a powerful example of a man who relied on God’s grace for the impossible. Though he had little formal education, Lincoln taught himself and pursued a degree in law. After a successful and robust career as a lawyer, Lincoln threw in his hat to become the sixteenth President of the United States. Soon afterwards, civil war broke out.
Lincoln leaned into grace for the long arduous labor of rescuing the Union, working not just with friends but also with rivals to forge a path to success. Lincoln’s willingness to do the hard work equipped him to lead the union through one of the costliest pre-modern wars to establish us securely as the country we are today. United in government and in freedom.
What Grace Is for in the Bible
The Prophet Jeremiah is another powerful example of a man who leaned into God’s grace. From the start, God warned Jeremiah that his call as a prophet would not be easy. But God promised He would protect Jeremiah from the schemes of men as long as Jeremiah would faithfully proclaim His word.
God did indeed protect Jeremiah from plots made against the prophet’s life. Once Jeremiah was beaten and put in stocks. Another time, he was thrown in prison, and later, into a cistern to die. Each time, God preserved Jeremiah’s life. And though Jeremiah often lamented the pain of his work, he continued to return and rely on God and His word.
As a result, we have a witness of God’s faithful love and justice for His people. And Jeremiah’s words still rouse and remind God’s people today.
What Grace Is for in Life
I leaned into grace for difficult things, as I cared for my dying Uncle. As the only niece without children or a full-time job, I was happy to serve him. But as I did, his demands grew, along with his discontent. I never knew if I was doing enough. Finally, God emphatically highlighted my need for boundaries in order to finish the other work He’d given me to do.
At first, I resisted, certain that this idea of “boundaries” couldn’t be from God. But He faithfully continued to bring friends and strangers, more and more regularly to reinforce His message! Finally, with trepidation, I drew a firm boundary line with my uncle.
Though he was initially upset, to my surprise, he quickly grew more content and grateful over his remaining weeks, as I allowed him to do for himself what he still could.
What Grace Is for in Your Life
You see, writer, sometimes the difficult things aren’t just the work we need to do. Sometimes, they are the things we need to say “no” to in order to protect our God-given work.
You see, leaning into God’s grace means trusting Him to define the boundary lines in our lives, both what we need to be doing and what we need to release. And then trusting Him as we move forward in faith. Here are some Biblical examples of what I mean…
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- But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9
- But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. – 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
- For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. – 2 Corinthians 1:8-10
- What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:31-38
You see, writer, God’s grace helps us do what we would never dare to attempt apart from Him. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us boldly approach the throne of grace to find mercy and grace in time of need.”
Sometimes, we forget the second half of this verse. We know we are to approach boldly, but overlook the fact that we are to do so particularly in times of need. In times where our own strength is woefully insufficient. In moments where only God can come through for us.
Some of us have been reluctant to put ourselves in a position that requires the grace of God. But those are exactly the moments when His glory is displayed for all to see.
Where to Start with What Grace Is For
So are you ready to consider what it might look like to rely on God’s grace in your writing journey? Here are some things to keep in mind…
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- Know God’s Call. Relying on God’s grace begins with His word to us. You see, when we obediently follow God’s call for our lives, we will find that call quickly outgrows us. (Though most often, we need help even to establish the basic disciplines that get us on the path!) Take some time to write down what God has spoken to you. Then prayerfully assessing where you are currently in regards to obeying that call.
- Examine Next Step. Once you’ve written God’s call for you, as you currently understand it, write down your next step of obedience. If you’re not sure, ask God to help you see what that next step is. If you already have your next step and a plan to act on it, wonderful! If you don’t, pause and examine why you haven’t taken that step and what may be needed to begin moving forward.
- Honestly Assess. Prayerfully examine your part in this next step of obedience versus God’s part. What is He asking you do to? What is the part that only He can do? You see, sometimes we’re bogged down because we attempt to take care of God’s part. Sometimes, we need help just to follow through with our part. In either case, being honest with ourselves and God prepares us to…
- Boldly Approach. Boldly ask God for help to do your part and for the grace you need that comes only from Him. If you need help in assessing any of these steps or praying these prayers, I encourage you to seek the input of Godly friends and counselors. Often, they can help us see our blind spots. Also having others who know our journey can help keep us accountable. Because here’s the thing…
No one ever fulfilled the great call of God on their life alone. We are utterly dependent upon His grace. We are also completely interdependent on one another. If you feel alone, even seeking out online Christian teachers can help you begin to re-engage with the body. Because here’s the deal…
God’s supernatural grace to us often flows through His people. Through the encouragement, fellowship, and prayers of His saints. If you think of it, Lincoln did not win the Civil War alone. Even for Jeremiah, the loneliest of prophets, God raised up human advocates to intervene and keep him from death. God used family, friends, and perfect strangers to push me into healthy boundaries that benefited both me and my uncle. And here’s the final thought…
Though we didn’t know always what for His grace would take, we each moved forward in faith, trusting God would somehow provide. As He did, it was always in a way that made sure the glory went squarely to Him.
So if you’ve felt stalled on your writing journey, perhaps you don’t need to try harder. Perhaps you need to grab hold of God to accomplish what you cannot. I encourage you, even if we misstep along the way, it’s as we move forward that God meets, guides, directs, redirects, and grows us. And it’s as we rely on His grace that we become vessels fitted to display His glory.
#grace #trust #glory #EveryWriterWriting
