I challenged the writers in my Monday morning writers’ group to write no matter who reads their words. I have written for 20 years, not sure who has read mine. But if I heard from the Lord what he’s asked me to write, then those words I wrote would be divine revelation words. There is a reason and necessity for why I wrote them. Wow. Could I be so bold to say that?
God said to Isaiah, “Go tell Israel what I’m telling you. But they won’t hear.”
Those words were fulfilled by Jesus 700 years later when he sat by the sea and great crowds gathered together. He climbed into a boat and the multitudes stood on the shoreline. He said, “Behold, a sower went out to sow ...”
The disciples spoke to Him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
“Because I’m fulfilling a prophesy that Isaiah spoke, in which he said they can’t hear. Their hearts are closed.”
This message and messenger can only be understood in the spirit. They wanted to receive His words by sight.
And, the passage continues. Jesus said to the disciples, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been fully perceived ... Your ears and eyes are privileged.” (Matthew 13, NKJV).
If the listener is hungry to learn, their hearts can be opened through the cryptic language of parables to move them beyond their intellectual abilities. Is that what our stories, based on truth, do for our readers?
The multitudes didn’t receive Jesus’ message because the prophecy said they wouldn’t. Did He feel rejected? No. He planted a seed. Sometimes that’s what we’re doing when we feel our words have fallen on rocky soil and there is no connection. Maybe it’s just a seed of thought for them to ponder on and will bring a certain light later in their lives.
Solomon wrote in his proverbs, “Pay attention to these excellent sayings of three-fold things. For within, my words you will discover true and reliable revelation. They will give you serenity so that you can reveal the truth of the word of the one who sends you” (Proverbs 22:20, 21, TPT).
What does he mean three-fold things? God speaks in threes, for he is a triune God. We have a body, soul and spirit. God lives in a three-room house (outer court, holy place and the chamber of the Holy of Holies). These dimensions are throughout the Bible. Maybe we meet our readers in the outer court. Someone else will take them into the Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. Our job is to write truth and bring light to those who are searching.
Seek God and He will give you truth. It is divine revelation. Sometimes those words speak to the heart, and sometimes to the mind or to the spirit. Jesus said, “Behold, a sower went out to sow ...” He was speaking to the currency of that day.
It’s common sense. If you want a harvest, then you must sow seeds. The harvest will depend on what kind of ground the seed is planted in. He’s speaking about the heart of people.
A writer in our group writes in emotional metaphors. She writes three-fold. She writes her personal experiences. She writes in spiritual truths. She frames her experiences in emotional metaphors. Can the reader get it? Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. It depends if the reader has ears to hear.
Some of our readers will hear the truth in their minds, some in their hearts and some in their spirits. It’s where the writer is in their writing and where the reader is in their reading. Only God knows.
When I asked one of my biggest fans why he reads “Artist’s Lane,” he said, “It makes me laugh.” Apparently, he needs to laugh. Another reader says, “It’s like you are reading my mail.”
Sometimes, what we write will sound too sappy or embarrassing. When I wrote about Al getting older, I thought I had stepped over the line, that no one would appreciate it. They would think I was putting down my Sweet Al and I would surely be judged for it. But people saw I was being honest and real, and they read my heart.
I received more favorable feedback than I have for any of my other writings. I almost pulled this article before it appeared in print. I would have missed a valuable lesson, and the readers who connected with it would have missed what they needed.
Final brushstroke: No matter if the readers hear or not, the challenge for the writer is to let go. Make it easier on yourself and let God do what He wants with your words. Your words might not be understood for years or many generations, but it’s part of why you write. You might not be around, but you’ve left truth for those to follow.
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Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of The SUN.
