Spirit Gift of Writing

“God is the original creator. He made human beings his image bearers, commissioning us to co-create with him—an authority usurped and distorted by the serpent in the garden… redeemed and restored by Jesus in another garden. The Holy Spirit is the divine creative force graciously restoring our place as God’s image-bearing co-creators.” 

-Tyler Staton, The Familiar Stranger

Scripture. This collection of texts we call The Bible. So many authors, spanning hundreds of years. The more I learn, the longer I linger, the greater my awe at this gift we’ve been given. What a gift.

It’s a miracle. Truly it is. These assorted texts, when read side-by-side, tell a story. But not only that. The texts are connected by images and patterns, symbols and threads. Honestly inspired. And by that I mean there is no possible way these connections could happen if not for the Spirit. Surely each human author was utterly saturated by the creative presence of Spirit. 

God chooses humans for extraordinary creative projects. Like Bezalel, artfully designing the tabernacle. Like David, the songwriter-poet. Humans joining God for inspired work. Image-bearers partnering with heaven. God’s purpose from the very beginning.

We read in Exodus 31 that God filled Bezalel with his Spirit, giving him wisdom, understanding, and abilities in every craft needed for the artistic design of the tabernacle. Bezalel knew how to work with gold, silver, and bronze. He knew how to mount gemstones, and carve wood. Bezalel was a true artist. What I wonder when I read his story is—how and when did Bezalel develop his skills? Was he born with them? Did they develop throughout his life? Or did they suddenly appear when he was filled with the Spirit? 

Or was it some combination? 

My hunch is the latter. Chances are, when God knit Bezalel together in his mother’s womb, his artistic wiring was already there. As Bezalel grew he probably began to learn and practice his craft. And then, when it came time for the building of the tabernacle, God infused Bezalel’s natural abilities with supernatural creativity and insight, giving him next-level capacity for building this awesome place of worship. 

My goal here is not to make a theological statement, but to wonder… and to consider Bezalel’s experience in light of my own story, and yours. 

I have a gift for writing. A small-scale gift, obviously not anywhere close to the level of the authors of Scripture. And yet, the gift is real. This has been true of me since I was a little girl. To this day I remember how proud I felt when my second grade teacher, Mrs. Wentzel, read a story I’d written, out loud to our class, and then commented in front of everyone that I was a good writer. Writing has been natural for me for most of my life. 

But at times writing has also felt supernatural. There have been times when I've known, beyond a shadow of doubt, the Holy Spirit is infusing my words, giving me insight and language. When this happens I know God is taking the gift he gave me, and He’s empowering it for his purposes, and his glory. 

As Spirit-filled followers of Jesus, we have everything we need to use our natural gifts for kingdom purposes. I desire, more than anything, to partner with Jesus in his fruitful and flourishing work, here on earth. My goal each day is to be wholly available and fully surrendered to the creative flow of the Holy Spirit… joining God as a coworker for the kingdom of heaven on earth. 

And sometimes I get to do this through writing.