Surrendering Your Writing and Speaking to God

When I accepted God’s call to write and speak, I had no idea I was saying yes to a lifestyle of perpetual surrender.  

I had a plan for how things would go.  

My plan involved going to a conference, pitching my book idea, and getting an agent or a publisher immediately.  

Easy-peasy… right?  

My plan was not God’s plan, and it would be seven more years on top of the 18 years that I had already waited to get that publishing contract. 

Most recently I found myself surrendering my summer plans to God when I received an invitation to attend the Speak Up Conference.  My plan was to go glamping with my family and then head to the beach.  I had never been to Grand Rapids, Michigan. I had no desire to attend the Speak Up Conference, and I was not prepared to make the financial investment.  

Speak Up was not in my summer plans but it was in God’s plan.  I ended up attending the conference and experienced the presence and power of God in so many ways.  I saw God in the provision for my trip, the worship of the attendees, the humility of the speakers, and in the relationships I formed. Had I opted not to go, I would have missed out on the blessings God had in store for me.

Six years ago, I found myself surrendering again.  I was obsessed with getting a book deal.  All I wanted to do was focus on me and my trade book, but God had other plans.  He began to place a burden in my heart for women just like me—Christian women communicators of color.  God birthed a mission inside my heart to increase and create opportunities for this community. 

After wrestling with this idea for about a year, I reluctantly formed what is now known as Entrusted Women.  I found myself serving this ministry like it was a job.  My service took so much of my time, I was unable to focus on a book deal.  The ministry grew, and it seemed like my little book idea was becoming a thing of the past.  

During my season of surrender God did immeasurably more than I could have ever asked or imagined for Entrusted Women.  We’ve grown from a few of my close friends to over 1,700 women.  We have been able to partner with organizations like Christianity Today, Waterbrook Multnomah, Zondervan, Grace Hill Media, and YouVersion.  

On top of all that, I saw the manifestation of Psalm 37:4 in my own life.  “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” As I continued to surrender my agenda to God, He eventually used Entrusted Women to connect me with an acquisition editor. I got a book contract in His timing and in His way, but I had to surrender first. 

Surrendering to God has taught me several lessons that I trust will be helpful to you, too:

1. God’s plans for my life are far greater than my own.
2. God’s timing is always perfect.
3. When I surrender to God, He is the explanation for everything that happens in my life.

Question:  In what way has God’s plan and timing for your writing or speaking turned out to be better than what you had in mind?

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