The Holy Spirit and Writer’s Block

Since May 2 of this year, I have had the honor and privilege of pastoring a church once again. With that comes weekly sermon preparation (which I deeply love). The downside to that is when you get a case of writer’s block. Such was the case this week. I spent the week with James 5, the next passage in my series in the book of James, but the sermon formulation just wasn’t happening. That can be a problem, especially when you are down to the day before.

When I realized the writer’s block was not going away, I asked God what was going on. Could God be up to something? Could there be a different word for the congregation than James 5? The answer was YES! God reminded me of my own rush through life without focusing on Him, and He directed me to Psalm 23. When you focus on the word pictures in Psalm 23, it causes you to slow down and relax. The Lord, our Shepherd, makes us to lie down in green pastures and leads us beside still waters. He is our Rest. He is our Provider. He is all we need!

Maybe you are experiencing a block in your life. You’ve been begging for a breakthrough, and everything is at a standstill. You feel like God isn’t working, but God is most likely doing something better for you than what you think you need. Like my writer’s block served as a detour from script and ministered to the hearts of those in the room, your block will reveal something better. I will close with this verse that was shared by one of the men in our church as he testified this morning – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Trust His unseen hand!

Matthew Winters

August 1, 2021

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4 responses to “The Holy Spirit and Writer’s Block”

Leigh

August 2, 2021 at 1:18 am

This post couldn’t come at a better time! Thank you for posting this. I’m working on a project that I’m hoping will turn into a book down the road. I’ve hit a major roadblock. I’m still in the research phase but I am trying to write and nothing. I’ll get a sentence or two out and then I’m blocked.

Maybe I’m rushing the process.

But that verse you closed with is perfect. I’m forgetting to trust Him! I am going to hand this to Him and see where He leads me.

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1. Matthew Winters
  
  August 2, 2021 at 1:26 am
  
  Leigh, this is something I’ll be preaching to myself over and over again. I have a million things I would like to do, and God has put them on hold for some reason.
  
  As I told the congregation this morning, I know this message is at least for one more person. I had at least three say they were the one. I pray God will reveal what He wants to teach you in this season and make you much stronger on the other side so you can benefit others for His glory.
  
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davidsdailydose

August 2, 2021 at 1:36 am

Getting through writer’s block is like dealing with insomnia. If you want to write or sleep well you must relax. When I started my blog I named it davidsdailydose because I planned to post every day. I quickly realized this wasn’t feasible—given my other responsibilities. For the past year or so I’ve published once a week (occasionally more) and that’s much more doable. This way I can usually keep two or three posts ahead. It really takes off the pressure and helps me to relax.

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1. Matthew Winters
  
  August 2, 2021 at 2:27 am
  
  I used to write daily, but life got much busier. Now I’m lucky to write twice a month. I’m believing that one day I will be able to do more of the things that are on my heart. In the meantime, I will do the best I can with every given opportunity and try to relax along the way like you said.
  
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Honest Thoughts from a Pastor