Something To Say

The other day a friend emailed me, encouraging me to not give up writing my blog, after I'd let it be known that I was struggling with this thought.  She said, ‘The world needs to hear from Pam Manners.’ I’ve been thinking about that this morning and wondering ‘Why? What can I possibly say that a thousand others out there haven’t already said as well as or more eloquently than I ever could on blog or devotional sites and in books?'

   
Yet, that should be of no concern to me, because my friend is entirely correct -- the world does need to hear from me. Ok, let me step in immediately here to assure you I am not saying this to brag or boast about myself. Actually, what the world needs to hear or read is God’s message through me, through the words with which He provides for me and inspires me to place onto this blog.  God speaks. I am merely to be His humble, obedient scribe.

In the Bible’s Book of Numbers, there is the story of Balaam, a man summoned by Balak, king of Moab, to put a curse on God’s own people, the Israelites, after they had encamped nearby. In my study Bible, Balaam is described as a prophet who always relied on God to guide his words. When confronted by Balack to do his bidding, Balaam answered him by saying, “But can I just say anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth” (Numbers 22:38) and “Must I not speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?” (Numbers 23:12)

And in the Book of Jeremiah, when the young, would-be prophet gave God his fearful, hesitant and lame excuse as to why he couldn’t do what God had asked of him -- “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child” -- God reprimanded him by saying, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you” (Jeremiah 2:7), and “Stand up and say to them whatever I command you.” (Jeremiah 2:17)

And so it must be with me. God’s called me to be His wordsmith and He’s given me this gift of writing to share His messages with those who need to hear them. He doesn’t want to hear my laundry list of Moses-like ‘What if?' excuses:

*What if someone gets offended by what I write?
*What if people think what I’ve written is dumb and make fun of it?
*What if no one likes my blog?
*What if no one reads my blog?
*What if I I’ve got nothing to say?

In God's grand scheme of things, all of that really doesn’t matter. So what if someone’s offended by what I’ve written? Maybe what they’re actually feeling is conviction instead:
’For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’ (Hebrews 4:12) So what if people think what I’ve written is dumb and make fun of it? I’m in good company, for the apostle Paul told the Corinthian church that ‘the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing’ (1 Corinthians 1:18), and ‘For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe (1 Corinthians 1:21).

So what if no one likes my blog? Paul says, this time in 1 Thessalonians 2:4 & 6, that when we speak (or in this case, write) with God’s approval, we do so to please Him, not others, nor are we to seek or expect praise for it. And so what if not many people or nobody at all is reading my blog?  God has made it crystal clear to me that I’m to continue writing  anyway. In Ezekiel 2:7, God told His prophet Ezekiel, regarding the Israelites, to ‘speak My words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen.’  And those times I feel I’ve got nothing to say?  Not to worry. Look, if God can put words in a donkey’s mouth (flip or scroll on back to Numbers 22 and check out THAT part of the story!), He will certainly put the right words in my heart and head and allow them to flow from pen to journal, from fingers to keyboard to blog site. I have to say, I’ve been utterly amazed at and humbled by how God has done this and how He continues to do this with me. I had absolutely no intentions of writing what you're reading here today…..it was completely Holy Spirit inspired.

So, there you have it.  Thanks to my friend's email and God's persistent nudging me towards these eye opening verses from His Word, I'm pressing on with my writing, no matter what. 

Today, what is God inspiring YOU to blog about, speak about, sing about, write a prayer about (and perhaps send along to someone to bless and encourage them)? Sit quietly, wait patiently and listen to what He’s telling you. And if He’s given you something to say -- then just say it -- because someone, somewhere needs to hear it.

Come on and let your life be heard today,
You’ve got something to say;

If you're living, if you're breathing
you’ve got something to say,
you know if your heart is beating
you’ve got something to say;
and no one can say it like you do
God is love and love speaks through
you got it, you got it,
you’ve got something to say ~ Something To Say, by Matthew West