My grandfather walked away from the Lord. Once a pastor, Pappy left the ministry and held a few odd jobs thereafter. But something happened when the Asbury Revival of 1970 spread to South Meridian Church of God in Anderson, Indiana. Pappy knelt at the altar and rededicated his life to God.
My heart leaps at the news of revival happening again at Asbury and fanning out to other universities. People are bowing before the Lord in humble surrender and finding liberating forgiveness. What family story will it catapult into a new chapter? How will the generations to come be affected for good?
What does this have to do with writing? Writers can be an instrument for revival or for maligning others. We can exhort, entertain, explain, and educate. We compose, connect, and correspond. How will we communicate God’s gift of grace?
Exercise:
- Revivals are known for repentance.
Consider your writing voice. What narrative do you use to lay out your thoughts? Is it preachy or condemning?
How can you seek God’s voice of love instead?
Write out a prayer based on Psalm 51.
- Revivals are known for prayer.
Do you pray over the words you pen? Prayer can expand our comprehension and reveal the heart of God to our readers.
Write out a prayer based on 1 Kings 3:5-9.
- Revivals are known for commitment.
How do you offer your prose to God? When we dedicate our words, they become God’s tools.
Write out a prayer based on Colossians 3:23-24.
- Revivals are known for renewal.
A fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit refreshes all who sit in His presence. As we search out God’s direction for our own lives, it pours out into our writing lives. How can you wait on the Lord today?
Write out a prayer based on Psalm 139:14-18.
- Revivals are known for love.
May love be a hallmark of our writings. May it slant and structure our thesis. And may it overflow and encircle others with a sense of God’s generous grace.
Write out a prayer based on Ephesians 4:11-16.
My grandfather’s act of humility that day at the altar still impacts me today. I may not know how my actions affect the next generation, but I can trust the One who does. He can use a keyboard, a pen, or even a post.
Lord, bring revival, and may it begin in me.
Over 140 of Sally Ferguson’s devotionals have been published in Pathways to God (Warner Press). She’s also written for Light From The Word, Chautauqua Mirror, Just Between Us, Adult Span Curriculum, Thriving Family, Upgrade with Dawn and ezinearticles.com. Prose Contest Winner at 2017 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference.
Sally loves organizing retreats and seeing relationships blossom in time away from the daily routine. Her ebook, How to Plan a Women’s Retreat is available on Amazon.
Sally Ferguson lives in the beautiful countryside of Jamestown, NY with her husband and her dad.
Visit Sally’s blog at sallyferguson.net
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