For months now, I’ve been brimming with writing ideas I have no time to write. My mental capacity has been filled with more pressing matters, and my normal routines are non-existent.
Perhaps more frustrating is the email thread that greets me every time I open my inbox. It’s a conversation between me and an editor who accepted an article I pitched. Writing for her platform would be a dream come true, so her response thrilled me.
But that was two years ago, and I have yet to write the article.
When writing isn’t your only responsibility—when “writer” isn’t the only role you fill—completing a writing project sometimes ends up at the bottom of your priority list.
I’m a writer and I really want to write that article. But I’m also a wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, church member, ministry leader, contracted freelancer, and neighbor. I believe God has called me to write, but never at the expense of fulfilling his higher callings—to love him and love others. I also believe that if God wants me to write that article, he’ll provide what I need to do it, including the time and energy it requires.
The Long Wait of Faith
God’s timeline often looks very different from ours. Did you know that God told Abraham he would be a father 25 years before his promised son was born (Genesis 12:4; 15:5; 17:16; 18:10; 21:5)? God gave Joseph the dream about ruling over his brothers more than 20 years before it became a reality (Genesis 37:2–8; 41:46; 42).
God’s call doesn’t always include a deadline—at least not the one we expect. Abraham and Joseph had to wait, trusting that God would fulfill his promise in his perfect time. Their seasons of waiting were not wasted; they were seasons of preparation. God used that time to test their faith, build their character, and position them for the fulfillment of his promise.
Finding Purpose in the Pause
We must remember that our primary purpose—our ultimate goal—is far beyond completing a project, realizing a dream, or finishing a worthy mission. It’s knowing and becoming like Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:13–14, 10–11). (For many of us, writing is a powerful way to draw near to him.)
Two years have passed, and I still haven’t written that article. But I have no regrets. I’ve been busy with the other work God has given me to do: loving the people he has placed in my life, and growing in my knowledge of him. He’s been testing my faith and sanctifying me. Maybe he’s still teaching me things I need to know before I write the article he wants me to write.
Encouragement for the Waiting Writer
Are you still waiting to write what God has called you to write? Do you feel discouraged because other things are higher priorities right now? Consider this: Perhaps the deadline you’re trying to meet is self-imposed instead of Spirit-led. You may simply be in a season of sowing instead of reaping (Galatians 6:9).
The next time you have a few minutes of dedicated writing time, start with prayer. Quiet your heart and mind, and ask God to help you trust his timing for your message and to steward your time and energy faithfully, in accordance with his will.
Then, take heart—God, the one who calls you, is faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24). He ordains seasons for our good and his glory (Ecclesiastes 3:1). “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:25–26).
This blog post originally appeared as Writing deadlines—mine vs. God’s on my Wield The Word Substack in July 2025.