What causes an author to write about a subject from a different perspective? Where does that idea come from? Knowing what inspired an author in turn can help you in finding inspiration–and cause you to listen to your own internal nudges.
Finding Inspiration in What You Know
I recently read an interview in the Costco Connection with Sarah Young, author of Jesus Calling and other devotional books that have sold more than 35 million copies. What inspired Young to write a devotional from the perspective of Jesus speaking to the reader as opposed to a more typical approach of the writer leading the reader to ponder how to think about a portion of Scripture, closing then with a short prayer?
Young recounts that Jesus Calling was born out of her personal prayer journals. For years she wrote in them as if Jesus were speaking to her. Then one day she attended a spiritual retreat and was asked, “What is Jesus calling you to right now?” Much to her surprise, the immediate answer came that she should use her journals to write for publication. The journals she had never shared with anyone.
It took her more than three years to arrange her writings into daily readings. We couldn’t ask for a better example of a writer working with what she knows.
Being Inspired Doesn’t Mean Getting Published
Despite laboring for several years on the manuscript, when Young submitted it to publishers, a couple expressed interest, but ultimately no contract was offered. How many writers can relate to the exasperation of following what you believe is Jesus’ calling only to realize no publisher shares your vision for your work?
At that point, Young and her husband moved to Australia, where they served as missionaries. She stopped looking for a publisher, but every day she prayed God’s will be done with her manuscript.
Young persevered–not in overhauling her manuscript, but in continuing to believe God had called her to write it. Now what did he want to do with it?
Two and a half years later, a publisher approached her and asked her if he could produce her book. As Young said in the Costco interview, “Imagine my surprise and delight!”
Oh, yes, we can imagine because who among us hasn’t striven for that outcome?
Finding Inspiration in the Story’s End
Young, of course, couldn’t know that Jesus Calling, published in 2004, would readily find an audience once a publisher said yes to it. Now she prays daily “for people who are reading my books. I consider it a wonderful privilege and responsibility to pray for readers, so I commit quite a bit of time to this pursuit each morning.”
I can’t think of a happier end to a story. Not only does Jesus Calling seem to have a permanent place on best-seller lists but also to know that Sarah’s devotion to having her books deeply touch people’s relationship with God continues unabated.
And to think, all this inspiration grew out of her personal prayer life.
That makes me want to close with a simple, “Amen.”
What aspects of the Jesus Calling story inspire you? What does it say to you that you need to do in pursuing your publishing dream–either do differently or persist in?
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The back story of Sarah Young’s New York Times bestselling Jesus Calling offers inspiration to all writers. Click to tweet.
The only dream that’s left to me
in my life and writing
is that my poems can somehow be
a gentle and inviting
call to come and taste God’s grace,
even in the hardest days,
for if you’ll let Him, He’ll help face
the cruelest hand that Satan plays,
and though life here may turn to dust,
your spirit from its tomb is raised
to take flowers He held in trust,
watered by your tears and praise,
that He’s made through your misery
a garland of your victory.
That’s mournfully lovely, Andrew.
What part of this story inspires me, the call of course! I write because I love it, am drawn to it, and need something artistic to balance out everyday life. Most people don’t feel they need to be called by God to garden, paint watercolors, to knit, or to sew. Yet, there is this expectation that a writer must be called. For the most part, I write for the love of it and the difficulty of arranging my words in a way that works. But I have felt the call, twice. Once, my publisher asked me to write something particular and I had no ideas whatsoever. I prayed that if the Lord wished me to write the book they wanted, that the idea would come. That same day, ideas flooded my mind and I set to work. The first time, though, was during worship at an ACFW conference in 2012. I had been steadily working on my craft for eleven years and it was a fight just to find time to do a little bit of writing every day with three small sons at home. God asked me to start and write a blog for the camp where our family works. “I don’t have time, Lord.” But the call was clear and so what can a follower do but answer her Lord. I knelt, weeping, during the song “Our God is Greater” and said yes. In this, I finally found where my gifts intersect with the camp that I love. I take photographs, listen to campers and staff, and write the story of each camp we run. No one would be doing this for camp if God had not nudged me forward, despite my concerns. So, to hear about another writer’s call is a delightful thing, because for the most part, I think that writing is like sewing. We love it, we have a skill for it, there is artistic fulfillment in it. But once in a while, God gives us a kick in the pants in a direction that He knows is best. So exciting!
Kristen, I’m sure your readers are blessed by your words. Thank you for saying yes to the call.
Kristen, I loved learning more about you and the calls God has placed on and fulfilled through you! Beautiful story.
Thank you, dear Janet, for this inspiring story.
What encouraged me most was her example of continuing to meet with Jesus for the right reasons. Her main motives were to have a close relationship with Him and help others. A book contract was secondary. Her trust in Christ was fruitful because she kept showing up and sowing seeds of love through her prayers and words. Love matters most.
Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. <3
And she remained–and remains–prayerful through each part of the process to this day. That’s a wholehearted response to God’s bidding.
Janet, I love how God does this. And I can testify that almost all of the inspiration for my 13 books (and contributions to books) have been born from my prayer journals/Bible Study/Quiet times as I recorded God’s names, attributes, and activity and His Words to me through Scripture through the years. I especially agree with Sarah Young on writing prayers in our journaling time. In 2000, I took my accumulated prayers and journaled notes about God’s names, attributes, and activity and put them into two books–using a similar format (except mine were two-way prayer conversations with God) before Sarah’s Young’s books appeared. My books also included original quotes, Scripture, etc. Barbour published those books of mine “Daily in Your Presence,” and “Daily in Your Image,” in 2002 and 2004. I had always wanted to write a third book in my series, using the same previous 1st person format as I had done in those books. But I wanted this one to be totally about God’s faithfulness (again, two-way prayers with God). I wrote other books and devotionals (3rd person) in between those other two. But I kept recording prayers, journaling, studying, and this year, now 20 years after my first “Daily” book, I finally wrote and just released that book on God’s faithfulness but put it under the umbrella of my trademarked “Day-votions” series: “Day-votions with Your Faithful Father: 90 Days with the One Who Wants to Meet All Your Needs” (now on Amazon). I lengthened my 1st person format, added more Scripture, journal pages (my first “Daily” book was beautifully formated into a prayer journal), and questions, because there was so much more God taught me through these last 20 years of prayer journaling. I’m not trying to give a commercial–please forgive the length. I only want to testify and encourage you that if you as a writer (or even non-writer) have never tried recording/journaling your prayers, your notes from Bible reading and studying, do try it! We only remember 10% of what we hear. My early “prayer-type” books became personal Bible studies for me, and helped deepen my life-long passion: to make God’s name, character, and faithfulness known and to help others find intimacy with Him. And my new one has truly been a “heart” book with 450 Scriptures written out! God is so incredibly faithful to inspire us in our writing in all kinds of ways. But journaling and recording have really helped me. And whether our books reach 100 or 1,000,000, readers, what precious inspiration He gives all of us in every genre as we write for Him!
Thanks for sharing a bit of your writing journey with us, Rebecca. That’s such an encouraging story on many levels.
Janet, this is such a beautiful story. I loved reading every aspect of it, and seeing how obviously God made His presence known in the backdrop of Sarah’s life. i think what was most encouraging to me was how, after she followed God’s leading to reach out to publishers and they turned her down, she continued to pray for her manuscript and for God to do what He wanted to with it. I needed that reminder today.
Jeanne, her perseverance in prayer spoke to me too, tha. There was no hint in the article that she begged God to find a publisher for the book but instead her prayer seemed open-handed. I love that.
I really enjoyed being reminded of this story of Sarah Young’s journey to being published. It builds faith in the truth that it is God who opens doors and closes doors and it’s about his timing, not ours.
Thank you!
Those aspects of the story really touched me too, Debbie.