Speak a New Beginning

Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. He created everything there is - nothing exists that he didn't make. Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness - and the darkness can never extinguish it.

God sent John the Baptist as a witness to the fact that Jesus Christ is the true Light. John himself was not the Light; he was only a witness to identify it.

Later on, the one who is the true Light arrived to shine on everyone coming into the world. John 1:1-9 (TLB)

P.E. Uloh, from Edo, Nigeria, felt extremely grateful at the New Year's Eve service in 2021. It indeed felt like a new beginning, a new hope against the odds of the past year. Yet after the service, P.E. was in tears as he thought of all the things he didn't have. He wanted so much for the new year, but he didn't know how or where to start. He felt hopeless.

That night, P.E. decided to pray again. He didn't ask for anything. Instead, inspired by 1 Thessalonians 5:18, he gave thanks for all that he had, and felt blessed by everything on his list. After this prayer of gratitude, he had Genesis 1:3 in his heart and a new understanding of the verse. In Genesis 1:1-2 it was the beginning, and it looked hopeless. In that bleak situation, God spoke light. With that light came hope, and God kept speaking, forming sky, seas, and land. What God wanted for the future, day after day, God spoke into being. Until it was all good, God spoke.

As believers, when faced with a hopeless situation, the first thing we can do is invite the Light into that Situation. We can speak: "Thank you, Jesus." He is the light of the world (see John 8:12). With Christ's light comes hope. P.E's resolution this year is to speak light through all his days.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to be grateful in all situations. Show us how to speak light and goodness into our lives and the lives of those around us, in Jesus' name. Amen.