A Writer’s Recipe for Prayer

A Writer’s Recipe for Prayer

by Penny Cooke

“Now Jesus was telling the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart”

(Luke 18:1, AMP).

We sustained hurricane damage. My parents’ declining health resulted in their deaths. Complications arose from my husband’s triple bypass surgery. In addition, my health issues caused extreme fatigue and brain fog. I faced these challenges and more as I began my writing journey. Such stressors do not make a good recipe for a writer.

On the same day, I heard, “We’d like to offer you a contract,” and, “It’s time to call Hospice.” My manuscript came due only a couple of weeks after my mom’s passing.

If I hadn’t prayed my way through those few years, I would not have found the strength to endure. Once we write for the Lord, the enemy will come against us. The stronger the message, the fiercer his attack.

Writing and all it involves is hard. Spiritual warfare makes it grueling. How can we persevere? How will we resist the enemy tempting us to quit?

Intentional, constant prayer is the essential first course on our writing menu. So, here’s a recipe to help us, using ingredients from our Lord’s recipe for prayer:

P–Proactively Pursue Prayer. We must be proactive in our writing and in prayer. Jesus said, “Always pray.”

R–Remember our Father is holy. He is the author of life, therefore the author of our writing. Recognize that without him, we can do nothing. Praise him for the gift and opportunity to write for him.

A–Acknowledge sin and ask forgiveness. We cannot hear God’s words through the rubble of unconfessed sin. Ask to be delivered from the evil one’s temptations and attacks.

Y–Yield to his will. We continually ask for his words, his timing, his direction, his publisher—his yes!

E–Enjoy the daily bread of his Word. Besides prayer, filling up with his Word ensures we’ll have much to pour out.

R–Rest in his kingdom power and glory, not ours. To rest is to rely on and trust him throughout the process.

If we use this recipe often, we will serve our readers, and ourselves, the most nourishing and delightful feast.

Lord, help me to always pray and seek you continually so I will not lose heart, so I can give my best—your best—to my readers.

 

Penny Cooke is a Biblical Life Coach, author, podcaster, and avid pray-er. Whatever she does, Penny seeks to equip believers with God’s Word so they’ll be empowered by His Spirit for life’s battles. Find encouragement on her blog and podcast at https://www.pennycookeauthor.com, and enrich your prayer life with her book, Pursuing Prayer—Being Effective in a Busy World, https://amzn.to/38ZuYAq