Our God is Not a God of Maybes
Today’s COMPEL Blog post comes from Encouragement for Today writer, Corrie Gerbatz.
It was 1:00pm. The time I had intentionally set aside to write. And yet there I stood in the kitchen, wiping down the counters, reorganizing all the drawers, and sorting through our junk mail pile from weeks past. I was stalling and I knew it.
My last writing session had not gone well at all – hence the stalling. My thoughts had been disjointed and fleeting. The words I did produce seemed to trip over themselves, and my eyes had literally gone dry staring at the blinking cursor on the empty screen. I cringed at the memory as whispers of doubt swirled in my head.
“Maybe I’m not the writer I thought I was…Maybe I wasn’t ready to have taken on such a task…Maybe I have nothing of value to say anyways…Maybe someone else could write it better…maybe I heard God wrong.”
Feeling defeated, but not quite desperate enough to continue cleaning the kitchen, I begrudgingly sat down in front of my computer. My fingers hovered over the keys, at the ready to type should a bolt of inspiration strike. But alas no bolts were in the forecast for me. I inhaled sharply, shooting a desperate breath of prayer to the ceiling, “Lord Please…”. and retracted my fingers. I exhaled – feeling every bit the failure I feared I was. I inhaled again – closing my eyes. I exhaled – and then the bolt came. But it wasn’t a bolt of inspiration. It was a bolt of forgotten truth shot straight to my heart.
Our God is not a God of Maybes.
My eyes flew open with revelation. He wasn’t! My Heavenly Father was a Promise Keeper, not a Maybe Maker. And what the Lord had called me to do, He would be faithful to guide me in. With a renewed sense of assurance, I once again placed my fingers over the keyboard and began to type.
Friends, the writing process truly is a wild ride! There are mountain top highs when you want to dance in the downpour of inspiration and valley lows when gigantic writing blocks loom over head. There are seasons of great growth with budding opportunity, and other times when it seems as though the only writing you’re doing is the weekly shopping list. But regardless of where you may find yourself today, we can all be certain that our God is certain, and He is always by our side.
“Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV).
So let’s all take a deep breath in and remember, our God is not a God of Maybes. We can stand firm in His promises. We can stand firm in His calling on our lives. And we can continue to labor. Because our struggle, our success, it’s all a part of the ride, and none of it is in vain when we are working for the Lord.
About Corrie Gerbatz
Corrie Gerbatz is a wife to the man whom she laid claim to at age 11 and the mother to their three children — one planned, one prayed-for, and one surprise. In this season of life you can find her at home with her family — potty training, homeschooling, and attempting to tame the ever-growing mountain of laundry. In her free time she loves to write, sharing personal stories with honesty and humor to encourage women in their faith and daily lives. Her writing has been featured on Proverbs 31 ministries and her personal blog. She and her family reside in Reno, Nevada.
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Wow! Thank you!
My favorite line: “My Heavenly Father was a Promise Keeper, not a Maybe Maker.”
I find these postings to be very encouraging. I like the idea of jotting things down and later using them as starting points for writing.
Corrie, how did you get in my head?.?!! I have been in Compel about 5 weeks and feel so lost sometimes. As I’ve often said, I feel like Moses coming up with excuses when God told him to speak. Thanks for the encouragement today. God seems to be sending it when I need it.
Thank you for these encouraging words! I can so, so relate to the stalling and to finding all kinds of other things that need my attention when, in fact, God is wooing me to my office and to pen and paper. Today I say yes – to be faithful to the call and to trust His promise that He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it.
Thank you for this. I joined Compel on 9/1 of this year, and yes I know it’s only been a week, but I feel so lost. Did God call me to write or is this something that is what I want to do? I am so confused and need clarity. One day, my attitude is to shoot for the stars…..the next day, I question what in the world am I thinking? It seems so out of reach. I am a simple person, who likes her quiet, simple life. Do I really have anything to offer?
I will continue to pray for God to help me, and guide me. If this is what He wants me to do, then I know it is very possible! But if it is not, then help me shift gears, and get on the right path for me.