Waiting for inspiration is like standing at the airport waiting for a train. — Leigh Michaels
Many writers feel stuck, not because they lack talent but because they’re waiting. For what? Inspiration. The “right time.” Confirmation that their words will matter. But what if waiting isn’t a passive state? What if waiting, from God’s perspective, is the most active, creative, and faith-filled thing we can do?
Let’s explore how waiting on the Lord can become a launchpad for your writing journey, not a roadblock.
Waiting Is Not Doing Nothing
Waiting is often associated with wasted time, but biblical waiting is something else entirely. To “wait upon the Lord” means adopting a posture of readiness—like a watchman on the wall or a waiter at the table, anticipating the next cue to act. For writers, this kind of waiting invites us to:
- Pray without ceasing.
- Listen for God’s voice in quiet moments.
- Stay alert and sensitive to divine inspiration.
Don’t confuse a lack of publishing opportunities with a lack of purpose. God may be using this season to sharpen your message, your heart, and your craft.
Do All You Know to Do
Sometimes we over-spiritualize waiting. We say, I’m just waiting on the Lord to show me what to write. But often, he’s already shown us the next step. We just haven’t taken it yet. Biblical waiting isn’t paralysis. It’s looking for God’s provision for more as we use what we have.
Start where you are. As Solomon once said, “Do your best in all you have to do. You won’t have the chance in the grave, where there is no knowledge, wisdom, planning, or work” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Write that blog. Journal that idea. Edit the chapter. You don’t have to know where it’s all going to faithfully take the next step.
Prepare for What Comes Next
Preparation is never wasted. Even when you’re unsure of your next assignment or opportunity, you can be training, learning, and growing. Like a runner stretching before a race or an actor rehearsing before a performance, writers should use seasons of waiting to develop their craft and deepen their walk with God.
Build your platform. Study storytelling. Improve your grammar. Pray over your audience. Waiting time is training time.
Beware the Myth of the “Perfect Moment”
One of the greatest traps for writers is the idea that we need the perfect setting, perfect idea, or perfect conditions to begin. But perfectionism is often just a dressed-up form of procrastination. Actually, the perfect moment rarely comes, and when it does, it won’t last. The best time to start writing is now, even before God stirs your heart. Remember, as we move closer to him, he moves closer to us (James 4:8).
Don’t wait for your kids to grow up, your schedule to clear, or your doubts to vanish. Write through the chaos. Write through the questions. God meets us in motion.
Waiting with Eyes Open and Heart Surrendered
Jesus lived in perfect timing with the Father. He never rushed, yet he never hesitated. That kind of Spirit-led sensitivity should be our goal—not only for our lives but also for our writing.
Make writing an act of worship. Let each sentence be a prayer. And when the time is right, you’ll have the Spirit prompts that will help you move forward with boldness and clarity.
Waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean sitting on your hands. It means serving, trusting, and writing with a heart surrendered to God’s timing.
If you’re a writer in a season of uncertainty, remember:
- Writing what you know opens the door to writing much more.
- Doing something now prepares you for what’s next.
- Listen more than you speak.
- Obey the last thing God told you.
- Never mistake waiting for wasting.
The Author of your story is never late. So put your hands to the keyboard and write while you wait.
Write with the Lord
I wanted to write, but the timing felt wrong.
So I stared at the page for much too long.
“I’ll wait till I’m ready,” I told myself twice,
While my coffee grew cold and thoughts turned to ice.
I waited for signs and a whisper or clue,
For thunder or lightning or skies turning blue.
But nothing came loudly, no trumpet or shout,
Just stillness and silence and lingering doubt.
Then softly I heard from the back of my brain,
“Don’t wait for the sun. Just write in the rain.
God gave you a story, a message to share,
Sit and do what you can, writing with his care.”
I scribbled and scratched, then started to type,
A sentence, a paragraph, without any hype.
The waiting, I learned, was not sitting still.
It trained me to listen and shaped my will.
Some writers keep waiting for green lights and cheers,
But waiting is still faith in action through all the years.
It’s listening deeply and praying each day,
With hands on the keyboard when words drift away.
So don’t fear the silence or moments unsure.
The wait is the classroom where trust grows mature.
God’s not being quiet to punish or tease.
He’s growing your voice like roots of big trees.
Waiting is not being lazy. You’re learning to grow,
As you do the work that the Spirit will show.
And when the right moment at last comes in view,
You’ll find what you’re writing is God’s writing too.
For a practical guide to storytelling, check out Storytelling at Its Best
