Category: Prayers

“Waiting” – A Prayer for Writers

1 Comment
By CJ and Shelley Hitz

“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.” – Psalm 39:7 (NKJV)

Father,

It’s so hard to wait. I confess my impatience and difficulty with waiting. We’re conditioned to have difficulty waiting seconds, let alone weeks, months, or years. But, as the old saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait.”

O Lord, You are more than worth the wait! There is no other hope found in the universe outside of You. You have indeed been my arm every morning and my salvation in the time of trouble. Help me not to miss all of the gems within the waiting. Though I would love to press the publish button today, help me see each and every lesson along this writing journey.

I long to wait patiently for what You have for me. Help me not to settle for the tempting shortcut. Give me the courage to stand strong in the face of a culture promoting instant gratification.

Finally, before I begin today’s writing session, I wait for the gift of Your Spirit to empower me and illuminate my mind. Give me the endurance I need to persevere and overcome every obstacle the enemy throws in front me. May this writing session be rewarded with the fruit of waiting.

It’s in the name of Jesus in whom we wait,

Amen.

“O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.” – Isaiah 33:2 (ESV)

“Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” – Psalm 27:14

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” – Acts 1:4 (NIV)

PRAYING GOD’S WORD In your own journal or notepad, write out your own personal prayer regarding waiting. Feel free to incorporate the scriptures above or others of your choosing.

This prayer has been excerpted from 21 Prayers for Writers: Praying God’s Word Over Your Writing by CJ and Shelley Hitz.

Since 2008, CJ and Shelley Hitz have written and published over 70 books through their independent publishing company, Body and Soul Publishing. They have mentored writers since 2010 and now help Kingdom writers, like you, take the courageous step of writing, self-publishing, and marketing your books inside their online membership, Christian Book Academy. Together they create a powerful team to help you accomplish the goals God has placed on your heart and have been called “pastors for writers.” Find out more and join their community of Kingdom writers here: christianbookacademy.com. Or find resources for authors at TrainingAuthors.com.

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…

A Prayer For Your Calling as a Christian Writer

Leave a comment
Guest post By Jenn Soehnlin

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-20

Heavenly Father,

Bless me with confidence in the anointing You have given me to write.

You are the Author and Perfecter of our faith (see Hebrews 12:2), and I pray that You will help me as I author the words you have called me to share that will bring You honor and glory and breathe hope into the hearts of my readers.

Help me to not get distracted by worldly busyness and building my own platform, but to be busy building Your Kingdom and pursuing the calling You have given me, just as Jesus did (see Luke 2:49).

Protect me from the lies and deceit of the evil one. May I rest confidently in your truths and in my calling, rather than getting sidetracked by doubts, insecurities, and distractions. Equip me to write with courage, confidence, and faithful obedience.

Help me to focus on my readers, on their needs, on their struggles and desires. May every word, every message You want me to share flow into my writing. 

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here. Strengthen and guide every word I write. Help align my motivations and desires with Yours.

Amen

*This is an edited excerpt from the anthology Prayers for Writers, to which Jenn contributed.

Jenn Soehnlin finds joy in writing about faith and praying Scripture. She is the author of On the Same Page with God and Embracing Emmanuel.

She also loves spending time with her husband and two sons, savoring coffee chats with friends, curling up with a good book, and enjoying a wonder walk through nature. 

For additional resources to help you pray for your writing, check out her site Prayer Empowered Writer.

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…

May Our Stories Pass the Test of Fire

Leave a comment

A Prayer by Rev. Rich Coffeen

Thank you Lord,

That you have given so many in our family a gift of creativity. We lay these gifts before you again. We know you will test all things on the last day. Some will be consumed, while others will be shown to be jewels. Some of what we create will survive in eternity. We ask that our creative labors, and our support of others labors, will have a meaningful impact for the kingdom of God. That is what we desire – to create something that you, our Creator, wants to preserve and keep. As we write, help us to ask ourselves honestly whether what we are crafting is something that will please you and have eternal value.

May it be so on that day, Lord Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God, the true Word.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

About Rich Coffeen

Rich Coffeen is a PCA pastor in the North Chicago area, a classical educator, and former missionary to Japan. He is the author of Christian sci-fi books The Discipling of Mytra and City on a Sea. He and his wife share 7 beautiful children and 1 grandson!

Prayer to my Shisho in Heaven

1 Comment
Guest Post By Sue Martha Shigemitsu

Note: “shishō”—Japanese word for “master” or “instructor”.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to write.

Lord, You are Lord of All Creation and have created this world from nothing, bringing life to us.

Lord, because You are the Master Creator, I ask that You would be my Shishō—my Master and Instructor in creating things. I want to create with You, both something new and using what I already have; but I want to make things that honour You and give you glory. I want whatever I imagine, produce, and contribute to be things that glorify You by telling other about Your love and grace; to create stories, worlds, and characters that touch the hearts and minds of readers and inspire them to seek Your face. I want my writing to be flavoured with the saltiness of Your Word and brightened with the light of Your love and grace. However, I cannot do this alone, because this is something I know I can only accomplish if I work with You.

Lord, please help me. Show me, guide me and create with me these stories that are flavoured with Your saltiness and brightness—stories that make readers thirst for You and seek Your presence.

Lord, thank You for Your generous grace and abundant love that You have shown me. I pray I will share it through my life and writing, that others too will discover, learn, and grow in that same love and grace.

I leave all these things with You.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen

A young Japanese woman with a sweet, round face, glasses, and short-cropped hair stands inside a warm living space, smiling.

S.M. Shigemitsu is a Canadian fantasy writer of Japanese descent who published her debut novella, The Blue Bird of Happiness, on Amazon in 2022. She has also worked overseas as a teacher in Mongolia, Japan, and Bangladesh.

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…

A man kneels at the cross, silhouetted by a cloudy sunset. He palms are open, his head bowed, and a stack of books rests at the foot of the cross.

A Writer’s Prayer

1 Comment
Guest Post By Wayne Thomas Batson

Oh, Lord, you know
I have ideas all the time.
But I often wonder,
Which are yours and which are mine?

I toil in silence with thoughts and words,
While minutes spin and hours fly,
Wondering if it’s all worth it,
Or will be when I die.

Could I have better spent my days
With family and with friends,
Or in the mission field,
Where means justify the ends?

Could I have done something more
Than crafting stories in so many pages?
More than making up lives of fiction
That might not live on through the ages?

How can my feeble language
Capture your grace, your hope, your love?
How can the plans of a broken man
Ever be enough?

What if no one ever reads my work?
Or just to be polite, a few?
Can all these images and words
Be written just for You?

Maybe I could sow or reap,
But stories make my heart sing.
So I present to You these pages
As a private offering.

The Lord’s reply came swiftly
Over many years, hard learned.
He said, have you ever seen me waste a tear
Or from a faithful gesture turn?

Those minutes, hours, years you spend
Have already been redeemed.
Not one word written on my behalf
Will be as fruitless as it seemed.

For I do not judge by reviews or likes
Or by bestseller lists.
Your name in lights could never match
Your humble willingness.

Let me have your every word
Every sentence, every story.
I will take that meager bread
And multiply it for my glory.

Take the gift I gave you
Brook no fear nor regret.
Your good and faithful service
Will touch the world as I intend.

About Wayne Thomas Batson

A middle aged man with blue eyes and a peppered beard stands in front of a dark wood bookshelf.

Wayne Thomas Batson is the bestselling author of The Door Within Trilogy, The Myridian Constellation, and a host of other sprawling tales. A middle school English teacher of 33 years, Batson and his lovely wife Mary Lu live in a woodland home called Timbervale in the secluded hills of New Market, Maryland.

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…

Opening Prayer

1 Comment
By Caylah Coffeen

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings…” queens, and authors!

Proverbs 25:2 NIV

Creator God,

You spoke, and the world came into being. By the breath of your mouth you created all living creatures. You made the stars and all their hosts, the mighty leviathan, and each of our souls. You are the Word, the Wisdom, and the only I Am. You ride upon the wings of the wind. You are a God who hides himself. How marvelous are your works!

You have given us all things, that we may subdue them to your glory – the wild landscapes, the limits of space, and our own minds and words. Teach us how to explore the secrets of yourself and your creation. Open our minds and hearts. Instruct our tongue that we may share your wisdom and wonders in words that move the hearts of man. We revel in this challenge! Take our pens in the palm of your hand and show us how to craft new worlds. Let all our searchings and imaginations be to your glory above all else.

We praise you LORD Jesus, Amen!

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…