God Provides In His Time

by Martha Rogers

Today, June 22, is my 77th birthday, and I am overwhelmed at all God has done in my life. So many times I wanted to give up on this writing journey, but God sent people and events into my life to encourage me and to keep me on track with His Plans for my life.

Years ago when I was battling breast cancer, I realized that God was in control of every situation in my life, and if I simply let go, He would take over and guide my path to the destination He set for me. If that meant losing the battle with cancer, so be it. He spared me, and let me know He wasn’t through with me yet.

I cannot tell you enough how grateful I am to God for the people He sent along the way to guide me and give me expert advice about writing. Having other Christian authors for friends is one of the greatest blessings He can give an author. I urge you to attend conferences and meet authors. Attend the workshops and learn from them. Listen to their advice and store what relates to you in your heart.

Enter contests with your writing. Nothing helps like good feedback from those who judge. Yes, the feedback sometimes hurts, but so many times I found that after I cooled off a little, some of the suggestions made sense. Take what really helps and forget the rest.

Prayer and perseverance are two other things important to us as writers. Without those two things, most if not all of us who are published would not be.

God’s timing is another consideration. He looks at where we are in our lives and determines what is best and the exact time to take us to the next level. His timing for me came four years ago around my seventy-third birthday. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of deadlines, new ideas, and new opportunities.

If you are writing for God’s glory and honor, then you’re in for the long haul. No matter how many rejections face you, be patient. Focus, write, and submit.

At one time I became a little angry and fussed at God. “Has Your watch stopped? Is Your calendar lost? Do You remember how old I am?” Of course He knew my age, but I had become frustrated and discouraged. Then I read the Scripture, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” That verse became my life verse and sustains me even today.

For the pre-published writers I say don’t give up because your time will come when God sets it. For the multi-published I say don’t give up because we need you to continue to set our standards and give us more of your great works.

Martha Rogers is a free-lance writer and the author of the Winds Across the Prairie series as well as the novella, Key to Her Heart in River Walk Christmas. Her second series, Seasons of the Heart, is now available as is her Christmas novel, Christmas at Holly Hill. She was named Writer of the Year at the Texas Christian Writers Conference in 2009 and is a member of ACFW and writes the weekly Verse of the Week for the ACFW Loop. She is a retired teacher and lives in Houston with her husband, Rex where they enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and attending football, baseball, and rugby games when one of the grandchildren is playing or performing.