Sunday Devotion- The Ten Commandments for Writers, #1

Janet Rubin

I've been thinking for some time about going through the ten commandments and seeing how each one relates to the writing life. So over the next few weeks, I'll be doing that here on Novel Journey. You're most likely familiar with the first commandment God scribbled on Moses's stone tablet:

Duet. 5:7 I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.

On my initial self-examination I seemed innocent regarding this one. No golden cows in my house. I've never prayed to Baal or built an altar to Molech. But what is a god? God says, "I am the Lord your God." Lord means master. Your master is someone you listen to and obey. Of course, one's god is who one worships as well. So if I am obeying this command, I am listening to, obeying and worshipping God rather than anyone or anything else. Is this always the case where my writing is concerned?

It's easy to want to compartmentalize God, to try and stick Him into the places we think He belongs- like the church sanctuary or our ten minute morning devotional time- and to keep him out of the places we think have nothing to do with Him. To be honest, I don't consult God very often about what I should write, where I should send my manuscripts, what my writing goals should be, etc. But I should. If God is really my Lord, my Master, then I should be continually looking to Him and asking, "what should I do next?" I should be seeking His will, asking for wisdom and direction.

If I am not listening to God, who am I listening to? I might be following the advice of other writers, reading how-to books, writing for the market, or looking after my own interests. While all of these things can be beneficial, they must not be put before God. Perhaps God has a story for me to tell that isn't the "what's hot now" genre. Maybe He wants to help me weed through the endless helpful hints I get and find just the right ones to focus on. And maybe the story I'm wanting to write is born out of wrong motives and He wants to work on my heart.

After writing this devotion, I'm hoping to make it my habit to intentionally remember that God is right with me in my computer chair. I want to run every idea by him. What do you think of this plot line, Lord? That was an interesting article, Jesus. Was there something in there I ought to implement? Father, is there anything You want to show me? It occurred to me that if I only listen to men on the topic of writing, it seems to indicate that I think men know more about the subject than God does. But who better to consult on matters of writing than the One who made words and language, the One who made men and put a desire to write in their hearts, the One who wrote the greatest story every told and is the very Author of life and salvation? In shame, I admit that I've held the opinion of best-selling authors, agents, and publishers in higher esteem than I have God's.

Lord,

I don't want to have any gods before You. You are my Lord and my God. Forgive me for underestimating the value of Your direction and insight where my writing is concerned. I know that You will use men to teach me and guide me, that you will help me to learn from the experience and criticism of others, and I thank You for that. But let me now and always look to You first and formost to be my Master; I want to write for You.

Amen