In our time, we are privileged to read the works of some of the greatest authors of all time. We make our way through the work of Edgar Allen Poe, and the hair on the back of my neck takes on a life of its own. We let CS Lewis take us into a magical land of mystery and the battle against good and evil. We travel together with Frodo as JRR Tolkien paints the picture of a perilous quest where the hopes of the entire world rest on the shoulders of a young hobbit. And he goes on and on the list. Writers who have such a way with words that they literally drag us into other worlds, leaving all reality behind. Yes, indeed we are wounded.

But when I think of the best writer in the world, my mind goes beyond the books on my shelf. In fact, my mind goes beyond the limits of this Earth, because my favorite writer is truly out of this world. If there was an award for the best writer of all time, the award would go to God. Only the Bible would earn him this title, but his written works go beyond even that.

command words

In Exodus 20, God gave Moses the rules by which He wanted His people to live. These rules would not only ensure order, but would also keep people safe if they were obeyed. God did not take these rules lightly, so they were engraved on a stone tablet symbolizing stability and longevity.

words of condemnation

In Daniel 5, God wrote on the wall in the middle of King Belshazzar’s feast. The warning message was “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN”. The meaning was as follows: MENE-God has numbered your kingdom, and he has finished it; TEKEL You were weighed in the balance, and found wanting; PERES-Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. King Belshazzar was an evil man and he made very bad decisions. Through the writing on the wall, God was reminding everyone present (as well as everyone who would read it in the future) that sin will be dealt with.

words of compassion

In John 8, a group of men brought an adulterous woman to Jesus. They threw the woman before Jesus and asked him whether or not she should be stoned. “After all,” they said, “the law of Moses says that’s what we should do.” They were using God’s own words to try to deceive Jesus. What a fool! Without a word, Jesus bent down and wrote something in the sand. The men continued to complain, so Jesus stood up and said, “Well, let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” He then he bent down and went back to writing in the sand. Silence filled the air. The only sound to be heard was the woman’s heavy breathing and the thud, thud, thud of the rocks as the men tossed them to the ground and walked away. The Bible does not tell us what Jesus wrote that day. It could have been the Ten Commandments. It could have been a list of the sins of the accusers. It could have been anything. But I believe with all my heart, whatever the message, compassion was the central theme.

conversion words

In several places in the Bible, God speaks of a book of life. In fact, the Bible speaks of two different books. While the Bible is not specific in describing these two books, when comparing Scripture to Scripture, this is my opinion. A book was written before the foundation of the world, and it contains the name of each person who is to be born. When people finally reject Christ as their Savior, their names are blotted out of that book. The other book, I think, is in a constant state of being written. Every time a soul is saved, that person’s name is written in the book. In the end, the books will be identical. You can have your own opinion about the two books, and that’s fine. What cannot be denied, however, is that both books are books detailing a conversion or change. In essence, when we are saved, God writes our forgiveness and we become new creatures.

So, you see, while there are plenty of great authors to choose from, in the end, there really is no competition. God is the greatest writer of all time, and the best part is that his words are true and will remain true until the end of time… and beyond.