Prayer For Writers
Divine Source,
You have given me the talent to weave words,
To string sentences and create stories.
Give me the strength and courage
To probe the depths of my soul
And bring out the words
That will allow me to communicate to the world
Our oneness with You.
Grant me the wisdom to write in ways that will inspire others
To revivify and respect our divine nature.
The written word can be very powerful.
Help me to make my writing a potent force
In bringing about positive changes
In the individual hearts and minds.
Writing is a noble profession.
Remind me always that I write to explore
And not to exploit;
And that my being a writer should not stand in the way
Of my being humane and dignified. Amen
Lord of all things, whose wondrous gifts to man
Include the shining symbols known as words
Grant that I may use their mighty power only for good.
Help me to pass on
Small fragments of Your wisdom, truth, and love.
Teach me to touch the unseen, lonely heart
With laughter, or the quick release of tears.
Let me portray the courage that endures,
Defiant in the face of pain or death;
The kindness and the gentleness of those
Who fight against the anger of the world;
The beauty hidden in the smallest things;
The mystery, the wonder of it all.
Open my ears, my eyes; unlock my heart.
Speak through me Lord, if it be Your will. Amen
Lord of all things, whose wondrous gifts to us
Include the shining symbols known as words,
Grant that we may use their mighty power
Only for God. Help us pass on
Small fragments of Your wisdom, truth and love,
Teach us to touch the unseen, lonely heart
With laughter, or the quick release of tears.
Let us portray the courage that endures
Defiant in the face of pain or death;
The kindness and gentleness of those
Who fight against the anger of the world;
The beauty hidden in the smallest things;
The mystery, the wonder of it all.
Open our ears, our eyes; unlock our hearts.
Speak through our work, Lord, if it be Your Will. Amen.
Father in Heaven,
You are the Maker and Creator of all things. You spoke this world into being and keep it in its orbit. By your word, all things exist. You watch over each creature and know the stars by name. Your word made flesh, Jesus Christ, shows us who you are. And your written word feeds, strengthens, and sanctifies your children.
As your image bearer, you made me to reflect you to the world around me. You gave me gifts and abilities to use in my life and work. One of the ways I image you is in my writing. I thank you for this gift. I thank you for the joy I have in weaving words together. Words are an amazing thing, they have the power to build and the power to destroy. They can point to you or away from you. They can honor and glorify you or honor and glorify ourselves.
Forgive me for the ways in which I have stolen your glory in my writing. Forgive me for the ways in which I have not glorified you in the words I have written. Forgive me when I fail to use the gift you've given me in a way that honors you, when I waste the gift and horde it, or when I fear what others think of my writing more than I fear you.
Help me to continue to grow in this gift. Help me to use words to build and not destroy. Help me not to worry or fret about how you will use my words, but to entrust them to you, knowing you will use them in the right time and for your eternal purposes. Whether one person reads them or many, may they be used to exalt and magnify you.
In everything I write, may it be for you.
Because of Jesus I pray, Amen.
God Above All Things,
In these moments while the document loads and my fingers rest on the keyboard grant me first an emptiness.
Remove the to-do list that waits impatiently in the corner of my mind.
Quiet the voice saying, You're not ready, you're not good enough, you don't have anything to say.
Shield me from the imagined judgmental gaze of my advisor.
Grant me first an emptiness, an openness, a mind unchained by anxiety.
Grant me then a fullness. Where insecurity lurks, pour out confidence and curiosity. Where there is fatigue, fill me with generosity and energy. Where there is fear, fill me with courage.
Shelter me in your strength and quiet the world around me.
For these few hours grant me peace and solitude in my thoughts.
Bless this mind you've given and help me use it fully. Help me seek and push the limits of my abilities. Remind me that I have read enough, I have enough, I am enough, and with time this paper will come to a place where it, too, is enough (at least for now).
In Your name I pray,
Amen.
Lord, inspire me to write stories that touch readers' hearts. Breathe your spirit into my characters so they come alive on the written page. Help me develop intriguing plots full of twists and turns that capture the imagination and move the story to a satisfying resolution. Keep me focused and on schedule, and take away any fear or sense of inadequacy that blocks my progress. Give me courage to step out in faith, to stretch and grow and to be the writer you have called me to be.
Amen.
O Creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with the loving knowledge of you, that I may bring your light to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries which you have revealed.
Open my mind, Lord. Grant me the talent to write with clarity and style, so my words go down rich and smooth, like fine wine, and leave my reader thirsty for more.
Open my heart, Lord. Grant me the sensitivity to understand my characterstheir hopes, their wants, their dreamsand help me to confer that empathy to my reader.
Open my soul, Lord, so I may be a channel to wisdom and creativity from beyond my Self. Stoke my imagination with vivid imagery and vibrant perception.
But most of all, Lord, help me to know the Truth, so my fiction is more honest than actuality and reaches the depths of my reader's soul.
Wrap these gifts with opportunity, perseverance, and the strength to resist those who insist it can't be done.
Amen.