Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Inspiration/Block (for the writer) (05/20/10)
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TITLE: A City Rebuilt | Previous Challenge Entry
By Maria Egilsson
05/21/10 -
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Hope bursts into flame as exiles trickle back into this once glorious nation. It flickers brightly for awhile until it sizzles and dies; the effort too great. With enemies pressing in on every side survival saps every ounce of strength they have. Disheartened and discouraged the citizens sink further into despair.
In a foreign country far away a man is stirred by the opposition and accusation that is now the mainstay of his homeland nation. In great distress this cup-bearer weeps over the reproach of the children of Israel. Four months pass as Nehemiah fasts and prays. He needs divine inspiration and direction from the living God. Nehemiah acknowledges his own fear even as he steps out under God’s leading.
There is much a writer can learn from the re-building of Jerusalem under Nehemiah’s guidance. Proverbs 25:28 refers to our inner life being like a city and without self-control or spiritual discipline our walls also become broken down.
In the manic phase of writing words tumble out from a heart that is brimming with life. There is hardly time for a breath between the strokes of the pen and the turning of the page. Caught unawares, the writer watches as the words slowly trickle away until they are gone. The page is blank; the heart is dry. A once well-watered city is barren and bare.
Days drag on in unending sameness. Inspiration is gone; its walls toppled and broken. A flare of inspiration sputters and spits as hope flickers briefly in the darkness. Its momentum cannot be sustained.
A critic raises his voice to accuse and condemn; an enemy that presses in at the broken down gate. This accuser pummels and pounds as he seeks to grind at the gift that God has bestowed upon the writer. In despair the writer falls to his knees; his face pressed to the floor.
As Nehemiah received instruction from God so will the writer who seeks His face. Inspiration can come in sporadic bursts but in order to be maintained a plan must be developed. Too often a writer jumps into a project without considering the work that needs to be done.
There is effort involved in maintaining the gift of writing that God has given. A writer is a steward of that gift and the first priority is in recognizing that all inspiration comes from the Giver. The accuser will use the writers fear to paralyze and strangle the flow of words that God wants written.
Nehemiah, the cup bearer, was blocked at every turn and attempt to rebuild that which was broken down. He took each obstacle to God earnestly seeking for direction. He was able to face his fear because he knew the One who commissioned him had also equipped him. Rejection and opposition were taken in prayer to God.
Writers block can be viewed as God’s whisper that something is awry in the writer’s life. It is God’s siren call to come aside for awhile and be refreshed. There are walls that need to be refortified and a gate reset.
Silent resignation to present circumstance is not God’s plan. Purposeful pursuit of the Giver, not the gift, is.
An exhortation from:
Nehemiah 1:3-4 (NIV)
They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Proverbs 25:28 (NIV)
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
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A teensy suggestion--you may have a few too many sentences with semicolons for such a short devotional.
I really love the comparisons to Nehemiah--surely one of the OT's most inspiring characters.
This shed a whole new light on the story of Nehemiah for me. Thanks.
Nancy K. Sullivan
Congratulations on your win! I enjoyed this piece. The part that struck me the most was "As Nehemiah received instruction from God so will the writer who seeks His face." Lovely encouragement.