To the Author of the Universe: A Prayer for Writers

As I sit down to write, I often forget that my words are not my own. There are many times when I forget that I must seek the Lord and ask him for guidance when I relay my thoughts into words. I often forget that the Lord deserves to be extolled through the words that I write. Words have the ability to either destroy or to build up, and this is a responsibility that I cannot carry alone.

Like many of my fellow writers, I sometimes fear that my words will be merely carried into the wind, leaving no trace of them anywhere. My hope is that my words will count for something. I desire that they will make an impact on my readers, but not because I relied on my own strength. I want to be remembered as an author who relied on her gracious God and looked to the Divine Author for her every breath. After all, I can do nothing apart from his sovereign will.

We may feel that we pen our own story and our own words, but our hands are directed by the Author of the universe. As I have ruminated on these different struggles, I wrote a prayer that I hope encourages you as you use your words to impact others’ lives, and most importantly, to glorify the Author himself.

To the Divine Author of the Universe and of Life Itself,

Lord, I stand overwhelmed that by your very words you penned all of creation and breathed into man’s lungs, awakening him to the beauty of creativity and love. My words lie here on this page, in need of your breath of life to carry them. Upon my own strength they are mere words, but you have the power to cause them to sink into the hearts of my hearers. You alone hold the authority to open the doors of their souls and soften the soil that my words may rest upon fertile ground.

Keep me ever in awe of your own works and words, God. Help me to look to you as I emulate your own work of authorship. Help me to remember that you are the Great Author who has given me every gift to wield for your own glory. Give me the ability to imitate your creativity. You have instilled in me a desire to create. Channel this desire into works that encourage your people, rekindling the flame that is buried deep within them. Use this longing to lift your name higher, ultimately lifting others’ eyes from me and onto the Author of their very lives.

Lord, you are sovereign over our paths for you intertwine our roads at the most perfect of moments. Before the dawn of creation, you wrote every word of this glorious story. You sketched every character, utilizing every flaw to portray your own strength even more. You laid out the plotline, masterfully weaving a tale that was not only beautiful, but true. The climax reached its highest as your own Son stepped into the story, taking on the form of the characters, dying by their own hands. But you had already ordained every event. You already knew the ending, for you had already written it. After three days in the grave, the Son of God rose from the grave, giving life to all who believe in Him. We can now rest in the fact that our stories are already written, only needing to be fulfilled as the times marches on. You hold us within your very hands, directing our paths and leading us closer every day toward your glorious kingdom.

Help us to remember that you speak these words through our mouths. You are the Divine Author who works through the characters you have created to take a part in your great story. We are greatly privileged to point others toward you, remembering that we are mere instruments in your hands. Father, use me to accomplish your great purposes. Use me to be act creatively, imitating you as I reach out to others around me. Cause me to act faithfully as I lean upon your faithfulness to guide me.

Every day, help me to remember that I am not the author of my own story. I am not the sailor of my own ship. I am merely a vessel to be utilized. I am merely a jar of clay whom you have instilled with your glorious treasures.

God, you are the Author of my story, and help me always to remember that.