The Couriers, Author Susan Reinhardt and Never Give Up

Sometimes You Just Have To Trust

By Susan Reinhardt

On Father's Day evening 2012, Mom and I attended a concert at a local church. Dave, Duane, and Neil, formerly known as The Couriers, were doing a farewell tour. The guys often came to our church when I was in my teens, and I simply thought of it as a nostalgia event. I never dreamed God would give me a lifeline for my publishing journey.

Discouragement dogged my steps as my manuscript, The Moses Conspiracy, received rejection after rejection. I knew the Lord wanted it published, but I was fast running out of options. No answers seemed forthcoming when I prayed.

One of the group, Dave, is known for his powerful preaching. That evening, however, he felt led to share a pivotal moment in Courier history. After being on the road and not making enough to support their families, they rode home from a concert in gloomy silence. One thing they agreed on: It was time to quit.

Someone started singing the song, "God will make a way where there seems to be no way..." Dave said they sang their way back into the ministry. By this time, I'm a puddle. I couldn't stop crying because the Lord was speaking to my heart not to give up.

I needed that word because the next six months proved even more challenging. As the New Year approached, I wondered what it would hold for my writing. A short time  into 2013, a friend urged me to contact a small press in Pennsylvania.

The publisher asked me to send him a proposal. Less than an hour later, I received an email with the subject line, "We want to work with you." I blinked, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Yet within two weeks, I'd signed the contract, and The Moses Conspiracy was published in March 2013.

I've discovered that when I'm at the point of wanting to quit that's usually when a breakthrough is on the horizon. Since that time two more novels have been published and another is about to be released.

I shudder when I think of how close I came to giving up. Thank God for ministries sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Faithfulness, patience, and perseverance are key elements not only in our publishing journeys, but also in our lives.

Bio:  Susan J. Reinhardt's publishing credits include numerous devotionals, articles, and some anthologies. In 2005, she began writing fiction. The Moses Conspiracy, The Scent of Fear, and The Christmas Wish were published in 2013. Her latest book, Out of the Mist released in 2015.

Susan blogs at Christian Writer/Reader Connection and has a Facebook Author Page. You can also find her on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Goodreads, and Pinterest.