This is a guest post by my friend and editor, Rachel Newman. She’s a Freelance Editor, Indexer, and has invested much of her talent into a future book project. She’ll be at the PENCON Convention in Austin, Texas in May. You should connect with her.
“Do you write much?” The question came from my chiropractor. I was face down on an adjusting table, and we had just been discussing a short essay I’d written comparing chiropractic care to the ministry of the church.
The answer hit me like the slap of a cat’s tail to my face in the middle of night. Editing. No, it wasn’t the answer to his question; it was the answer to mine. A question I’d been earnestly asking God for two weeks. “What’s next God? What is the answer to my heart’s longing?” The answer was so definitive, it left no question in my mind. God had called me to be an editor.
Effective Forms of Communication
Often we think that if we could just hear the audible voice of God, like they did in the Old Testament, then we would know what He wanted us to do. Oh! How easy that would make life.
I once heard a minister give the following scenario. Your child has moved out of the house and is living far away from you. They’ve encountered a situation in which you know exactly what they need to do. You have three options: (1) Write them a letter explaining the situation. (2) Call them on the phone and tell them what to do. Or (3) transfer what you are thinking and the desires you have directly into their mind and heart.
Which would be the most effective form of communication to bring about the desired result? The third option, of course. If you could simply drop the answer into their brain, it would be swift, it would be accurate, and it would be effective.
That is what God has done in this new covenant. He has given us His Spirit; He has given us His mind; He has written His laws on our hearts. When we spend time delighting in His presence and meditating on who He is, we understand who He has made us to be. The things He wants become the things we want. The way He would do things becomes the way we do things. It is the glorious mystery of grace, Christ in us.
Recognizing God’s Voice
When I heard Him say I was an editor, I immediately recognized His voice. Do you know what it sounded like? It sounded like me. He used my brain, and my spirit, and my thoughts to tell me what was in His heart. But I knew it hadn’t come from me; it had come from Him.
You might ask, how can you tell when God speaks if it sounds just like you? You start with His Word. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “[T]he word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit . . . and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” His word separates what comes from our soul (our own personality) and what comes from our spirit (which is now one with His Spirit).
Wait, Rachel. You said God told you editing was your answer. Where is that in the Word?
The Word of God is only the beginning. It teaches you of Jesus. It teaches you of the Father. But it is only an introduction, an aid to help you recognize His voice and go deeper into His truths. Through many years of studying His Word and walking in His presence, I now recognize when He speaks to me about any topic, whether it is addressed in the Scriptures or not.
Editing was something I had never before considered. But as He spoke, I instantly knew editing was part of who I am. I began preparing, training, studying. God is the God of preparation, after all. And every bit of editing I’ve been exposed to has confirmed His word to me. In His calling is joy, fulfillment, peace, and even challenge. There is no other place I’d rather be.
[reminder]What about you? When have you heard God speak? What did it sound like? Are you seeking Him now for anything we could pray with you about?[/reminder]