A Closer Walk

 by Rebekah Robinson

'How about we pray?' Captain Obvious, a.k.a. my pastor, has a knack for the gentle suggestion when I've lost my balance.

I was frazzled. It was music practice night; the turnout wasn't great, I was worried I hadn't prepared enough, and I was apprehensive that the new songs would fall in a heap.

So yes, we did the obvious captainly thing: we prayed. And lo, the sky declined to fall.

How on earth do I keep forgetting that none of my gigs — despite responsibility — are really riding on just me? Since that day I've made it a point to begin every rehearsal and every service with prayer. It isn't a token gesture; it actually grounds us, and invites the Lord to take an ever more practical role in what we do. It — He, really — lightens the load.

This applies with work as well. I like to ask for His agenda to rule, and for help with my tasks for the day. This goes double for the daunting ones! There's something about committing the day to Him and deliberately asking for His involvement that smooths the way. Obstacles loom a little less. A way opens up. There's not as much self-condemnation if I don't get through my To Do list quite as thoroughly as I'd like. And I'm a great deal less tizzy.

So ... why shouldn't we begin our writing sessions with prayer?

The Holy Spirit is our business partner, our inspiration, our guidance, our wingman. He's the one who anoints us to do what we do. We are His work and we do His work. If we want to produce the very best work, it's only logical to call in our Heavenly Expert.

The Lord cares about what we do. According to Ephesians 2:10 NIV, ministry opportunities have been intentionally lined up for us. 'For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.' That means He's invested in us. He doesn't sit back and dare us to try to impress Him. Rather, He is eagerly waiting to coach and coax the best out of us, if only we are willing to be taught and to let Him have a hand in it.

In a few weeks, I'll be attending the Christian Authors Showcase Queensland — a weekend I look forward to every year. It's a chance to be immersed in the craft, revelling in the company of other writers. But it's also a chance to worship: to seek the Lord, to lift Him up, to let Him speak into what I do. We open with praise and we close with blessing. It's special and it's meaningful.

Sometimes what I write fails to get lift-off, and I struggle to nail down what I'm trying to say — if anything! But other times I look back over a decent chapter and think, 'Did I really write that?' And those are the times I'm sure I've been carried.

So, I'm recommitting to pray every time I sit down to write. I'm praying for wisdom, ideas, insight, and authenticity. It doesn't have to be a fancy prayer, just something from the heart. I'll put a little visual reminder near my keyboard — maybe a Post-It note, or an object from another room whose unexpected appearance jars me out of my rut. 

We can be as intertwined with the Lord as we want to be. The Heavenly Father isn't someone we outgrow, but someone we grow towards. Maturity becomes a greater reliance on and enmeshment with Him. It's only the juvenility of ego that makes us seek to do things 'without any help.' In this lifelong apprenticeship, the wise soul heeds the master and takes care of the tools — and seeks 'just a closer walk' with Him.

Rebekah Robinson loves God and people, and writes about Christian living. A missionaries’ daughter, she was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and lives in Brisbane, Australia. She and her husband have two adult children. Freelancing as a graphic designer, she enjoys singing, songwriting and worship leading, and may have a slight digital scrapbooking addiction. https://www.beckoncreative.biz