I adapted the prayer for preachers into a prayer for writers so I could pray it for myself and a few blogger friends of mine, Demian Farnworth, Don Dudley, and Jonathan Woodward.

This prayer captures my heart’s desire when I write…or at least what it ought to be. It also expresses in Puritan language what I pray God accomplishes through my writing.

The Puritan prayer doesn’t directly cover some specifics though. For example, I’d like this blog to have a clearly defined and specifically targeted mission, and sometimes that’s lacking. I also hope one day this blog might be a means God uses to connect me with a full time job, a book writing deal, or some other opportunity to serve God with what He gives me just as I try to do where I am now.

That’s the stuff I pray for. And Don Duddley over at You See Dry Bones prays for similar things. And I would love to have you join with me in prayer. Would you bring these requests before your church, small group, family, or where ever else you gather to pray?

A Writer’s Prayer

My Master God,

I desire to write today,
but go weak and needy to my task;

Yet I long that people might be edified
with divine truth,
that an honest testimony might be borne
for thee;

Give me assistance in writing and prayer,
with heart uplifted for grace and unction.

Present to my view things pertinent to
my subject,
with fullness of matter and clarity of thought,
proper expressions, fluency, fervency,
a feeling sense of the things I write,
and grace to apply them to men’s consciences.

Keep me conscious all the while of my defects,
and let me not gloat in pride over
my performance.

Help me to offer a testimony for thyself,
and to leave sinners inexcusable in neglecting
thy mercy.

Give me freedom to open the sorrows of thy people,
and to set before them comforting considerations.

Attend with power the truth written,
and awaken the attention of slothful readers.

May thy people be refreshed, melted, convicted, comforted,
and help me to use the strongest arguments
drawn from Christ’s incarnation and sufferings
that men might be made holy.

I myself need thy support, comfort, strength, holiness,
that I might be a pure channel of thy grace,
and be able to do something for thee;

Give me then refreshment among thy people,
and help me not to treat excellent matter
in a defective way,
or bear a broken testimony to so worthy
a Redeemer,
or be harsh in treating of Christ’s death,
its design and end,
from lack of warmth and fervency.

And keep me in tune with thee
as I do this work.

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