The Necessity Many Christian Poets and Writers Lack

 

You pray. You help others. You’re generous with your time and talents. Most likely you’ve attended church worship services with fellow believers. But, if you have not read the Bible cover to cover and continued to read and study God’s Word, your writing will lack spiritual depth and accuracy, and your readers will _____. (Fill in the blank.)

Many of us grew up in a Christian environment and heard Bible stories from a young age. Those stories helped to shape us into people with character, but sometimes they left us thinking we had to be perfect. They weren’t! Male or female, every biblical giant had some flaw, but most Bible stories for children don’t mention that part! And so, we endlessly strive or think we’ll never be good enough for God. If, however, we read the full stories as an adult, that deeper acquaintance with the Bible will remedy a skewed perspective.

Other young Christians heard about God’s wrath, but seldom (if ever) heard about God’s forgiveness and love. Out of context, an abundance of God’s punishment might make anyone think the Lord is downright mean! He’s not. It’s just that what we knew – or thought we knew – about the Lord came from a childhood view.

When, as an adult, you read the Bible for yourself, you’ll see how patient and, yes, hurt God was by the flagrant disregard of His people for His word, and eventually, He said, “That’s enough!” The idea was to discipline and gather up His people to Himself, so they could live under His guidance, wisdom, protection, provision, and healing grace. But, often, they just wanted to do what they wanted when they wanted without restrictions, even if that meant turning their backs on God’s kind, good, and loving intentions.

Are we any different? I ask because I’ve been involved with various groups of Christian poets and writers and frequently see self-help influences instead of godly principles. For example, think positively, picture success, and it will come. Really? If that were so, who would need God? We’d be our own gods, but I don’t want to be!

I don’t know what the future will bring, but I trust God to work it out for good. I don’t know how to restore Christians to loving fellowship instead of back-biting or polarization, but with God, nothing is impossible. I don’t know how to heal people, but God does, and our loving Heavenly Father knows when it’s time and when it’s not and why.

As you read the Bible again, notice the many, many promises of God and pray in agreement, knowing you’re agreeing with God’s will. Notice how patient and long-suffering and merciful God is. Get to know Him well from His word, and you’ll be able to speak beautifully, bountifully, and powerfully on His behalf in all you write. 

And get to know, really know, Jesus.

You do know, of course, that God sent His own Son to bring all peoples back to Himself, for, through Christ, forgiveness restored our relationship with our Heavenly Father and resuscitated our spiritual lives. As we read the Gospels again and again, we get to know God more intimately through Jesus Christ, which then enables us to represent the Lord reliably and accurately in the Name of Jesus.

 

Mary Harwell Sayler

 

 

Let’s Hear It For John 3:17!

 

Church-goer or not, anyone who’s watched football on TV or been to a game has surely heard of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes on Him will have everlasting life.” That’s a promise –the most vital one the Lord gives, assuring us of His plan for our salvation.

Unfortunately, many people do not believe they’re worthy of such a hope. Or they think Christ came, but not for them. And that’s where John 3:17 comes in. As the verse says: “For Christ did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that, through Him, the world might be saved.”

What constitutes the world? The earth and the physical beings who dwell here. That means people. And, “people” includes every human being, every person, me, and, of course, you.

The guarantee of John 3:17 has nothing to do with how good we are or how depraved! Whether we’re little-goody-two-shoes or people too ashamed to hold up our heads, God’s will is for all to be saved – for all to spend eternity in the presence of His endless love.

So, how do we get there? Jesus Himself answered that question. When people asked, He replied: “This is the work of God, to believe in The One He has sent,” John 6:29.

For Christ didn’t come into the world to sentence us and jail us in hell! The Lord wants our faith in Him to enable us to receive the forgiveness, saving grace, and eternal love He offers to all who believe.

 

© 2025, Mary Sayler

Taking God at His Word

When I proof my work online, I have trouble spotting mistakes, but when I read a book in print, my eyes often go to whatever needs correcting. I'm sorry to say, I didn't proof a printed copy of Kneeling on the Promises of God until after publication.

I've now corrected those errors and re-uploaded the book, but if you find something I've missed, please let me know. Thank you.

And may God bless you and your prayer life as you believe God means what He says - always - no mistakes!

Mary Sayler

Kneeling on the promises of God

[The following article introduced the book, Kneeling on the Promises of God.]

As you have likely heard, the hymn “Standing on the Promises” encourages us to trust God and take Him at His word. But from the very beginning of time, the matter of believing God arose in the Garden of Eden with the doubt-producing question, “Does God really mean what He says?” That contagious thought gave mankind an excuse to disobey, and distrust gave birth to death!

Now, as then, wariness of God brings uncertainty and the ongoing scramble to find, “Who can I trust?” Sometimes we can’t even trust ourselves! So where do we turn? Do we place our hope and faith in money, power, politics, institutions, traditions, or trends?

The trouble with those options is that people change their minds. Money changes hands and value. Political leaders come and go. Institutions become something unlike their original selves, and trends are, well, trendy. Facts get disproven as new information comes to light. Even the ground beneath our feet trembles, and stars careen from the sky. Everything changes! But God does not change, and neither does God’s word.

Mysteriously and paradoxically, the Holy Spirit is invisible to us yet the most solid matter. So, too, are the promises God gives – promises so stabilizing, we can build our whole lives on them. Promises so truthful and trustworthy, they can become the basis of our most powerful prayers. But why should we believe those promises? Why should we place our faith in God?

According to the Bible, God is Love – forgiving, compassionate love that can always be trusted to do what’s best for us and our spiritual well-being. Nothing and no one is greater, kinder, holier, or more trustworthy than God.  Nothing and no one can offer us more power or purpose for our lives. Once we realize we can totally trust the Lord, we can build our marriages, families, churches, and occupations on the promises God gives.

We can build our prayer lives on those promises too. We can take God at His word, knowing He agrees with our prayer requests because He has already promised the very things we claim or ask Him to do. Therefore, to kneel on a promise God made means claiming that promise and praying it into our lives.

To put this belief into practice, the book Kneeling on the Promises of God includes heartfelt, conversational prayers following each Bible promise – promises found in a variety of translations but paraphrased into everyday English. These prayers are to give you an idea of how you, too, might kneel on the promises in God’s Word.

The hope is that relevant prayers will also come to you as you meditate on the scripture verses, and write down your prayers, claiming God’s promises in the space provided on the lower part of each page. But, before doing this:

Pre-pare with pre-prayer!

Pray for the prayers to pray.

Regardless of our denominational affiliations or cultural backgrounds, let’s agree to stand on the promises  of God throughout our lives and kneel on those promises as we claim God’s Word each day and night in prayer.

May God bless you and your prayer life in the Lord!

Mary Harwell Sayler

For actual prayers from the Bible, visit the Bible Prayers blog.