The Days Drag On….. by Keona J. Tann

Early May 2020, I’ve been battling either:

Inspiration vs ability
or
Ability vs inspiration

I was trying to work on a few pieces of writing that have been brewing away, but it just wasn’t flowing and I was getting SO frustrated. I decided to make notes to at least capture my train of thought and then just leave it. A couple of mornings later I couldn’t sleep so I got up around 4am and did some writing, the piece that had frustrated me just flowed!
I was so amazed and thankful.

HELP!

This writing journey has been much harder than I ever imagined, I was thinking yesterday (8th May) how good it would be to have another writer to co-write with me, someone who could come along and make sense of my ramblings, someone to piece together the jigsaw puzzles pieces (the thousands of draft emails I’ve written when a moment of inspiration hit), someone with more energy and ability than me, someone who knows my heart and can put it into words, someone who has experience …. the list could go on and on but basically you get the idea that I was feeling EXTREMELY overwhelmed with the task of writing and completely inadequate. As I cleaned the shower thinking those thoughts I was reminded of something: The Bible is a best seller, it has touched the lives of millions of people and although it is written by men it is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The next morning I decided to document this struggle and I looked up the Bible verse that had been brought to mind:
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬
As I read that I get SO excited, the Holy Spirit longs to be my Helper, I mean that is one of the many definitions of Who He is. He has HEAPS of experience and the thing is He loves to impart stuff to us ordinary folk. He knows my heart even better than I do. He never wearies nor grows faint, He doesn’t need a nap in the afternoon to get through the day. He has unlimited and unending resources to share with me. He knows the best way to piece together the stories because He has given them to me to write.
Wow oh wow, what a revelation!

Equipped

In verse 17 Timothy also explains that God uses His Word to prepare and equip me for every good work, in fact the Amplified version declares that I’ll be made complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped! WOW!
It is just another powerful reminder to keep my eyes focused on Him and to trust Him to guide each word I write, every sentence I scribe, each paragraph I prepare, every devotion I decode, each book I build…. I’m reminded to stick close to God and to keep delving deep into His Word.
Once again this week has been a roller coaster, at the start I wanted to give up but now, at the end of the week, I’m again excited about writing. I’ve been sensing that I simply need to faithfully (diligently and with faith) document the journey: the ups and the downs, knowing that one day what I share will encourage someone else. I’ve been reminded to write it down, the now and also to capture the vision, to write it all down plainly so that those who read it can understand it, unpack it and use it to propel themselves forward (inspired by Habakkuk 2:2).

Chip Away

This week I know that I need to capture from God: the Call, the vision, the promises, the words He speaks to my heart at any hour of the day, even 3am.… I’m document it ALL and hold each word, treasure it. Some I know I can share with others, but some things I know are simply to remind myself where God has me headed. I need to spend time praying until the appointed time unfolds, knowing and trusting that what God has promised He will do….. in His time AND He will not fail (inspired by Habakkuk 2:3).
I’ve experienced that writing and restoration have something in common, a lot of patience is needed. I can’t force either of them to happen, I simply need to chip away – do the things I can see now to do and wait for the rest to unfold. A friend sent me the YouTube link to the song ‘RATTLE!’ by Elevation Worship and it took me a few days to find time to listen, when I did I got SO excited. In the song the lyrics that really struck me were: “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord: Live! Live!” because when I went to the women’s retreat in Sept 2016 for healing the word that was spoken was: ‘dry bones come to life’. I knew that was for me because I felt like a bunch of dry withering bones. When I had prayer at the retreat nothing seem to shift at first, but the next day I did feel different. The thing about the story of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-10) is that they come together bit by bit: bone by bone, tendon by tendon, then flesh, then skin and then breath. I see that is how God is rebuilding me – bit by bit, piece by piece, He is putting me back together and I simply need to be patient. Life has been breathed into me and God has been continually working since then, I press in for the completion of the good work He has begun.

What about you?

Are the days dragging on for you? Do you feel discouraged, ready to give up? Today I pray that HOPE arises in your heart and that faith ignites in your spirit. I urge you to fix your eyes upon the things that are divinely guaranteed, though they may not be seen just yet (Hebrews 11:1). Let’s pray together:
Lord God thank You for the reminder that all Scripture is inspired by You. I ask You to bring it to life each time I read, to teach me what is true and help me to see what is wrong in my life. Help me to have a teachable spirit that is willing to be corrected. May I enjoy my quiet times with You, help me to carve out special moments with You, to spend time soaking in Your Word in order to be prepared and equipped for what You’ve called me to do. Holy Spirit thank You for wanting to be my Helper, come and impart. I praise You for being my reliable aide, One that wearies nor grows faint; the One with unlimited and unending resources! Thank You for wanting to assist me each and every step of the way. Help me to walk in the things You’ve called me to, help me today to complete the tasks set before me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Many blessings, Keona.