Posted on behalf of Angela Jelf, Guest Blogger.

As writers, we know that all the best stories have strong openings.  

Only three verses into the book of Genesis, we come across this mind-blowing verse.

And God said: “Let there be light and there was light.”

Before this point, the earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep.  But the Holy Spirit was hovering over the face of the waters.  And then God spoke.  He simply spoke forth a command - and boom!  Light appeared. Of course it did!   Everything changes when God speaks.

As writers, we also love a good parallel, don’t we?  We love it when a story has a cyclical-feel to it and all the loose ends begin to tie up.  Have you ever considered the way Genesis 1 mirrors the first few verses of the Gospel of John?

In the opening words of this gospel, we learn some extraordinary truths about Jesus.  We learn that Jesus was not just present at Creation, but that everything came into being because of Him.  Jesus is the same God, who thousands of years later struck awe into the hearts of a group of fishermen when He commanded the wind and the waves to be still, and they obeyed.  Of course they did!  Everything changes when God speaks. 

We also learn that Jesus was the true light that was coming into the world.

From the dawn of creation, God’s heart has always been to bring light wherever there is darkness.   To bring order where there is chaos.  To bring peace in the storm.  To fill huge, aching, empty voids with His goodness.  To bring salvation and hope and light and life!

As writers, made in the image of God, we are called to ‘shine like lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation’.   Jesus tells us that we, His disciples, are the light of the world.   We ourselves, cannot create light - only God can do that.  But we are image-bearers of our Saviour, called to reflect His glory! 

Can I encourage you today to ask the Holy Spirit to help you in your writing?  Because everything changes when God speaks!  The Holy Spirit is always bringing glory to Christ.  Let’s seek to do the same.  When we are feeling stuck, let’s invite The Holy Spirit to brood over our blank sheets of paper and bring some order into the chaos.  When we are feeling dry, let’s ask Him to fill our empty voids with His goodness, so that we can pass on some of His glorious hope to others.  Let’s believe that we are indeed, ‘More Than Writers’ – we are called and chosen to bring light into the darkness!  What a privilege.