Psalm 62:1, “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.”
When was the last time you sat in total silence? Where you didn’t allow anything to distract you – the hum of the refrigerator, the rumble of a car driving by, the chatter of the tv in the background, or the chime of a phone notification? It can be hard to find a quiet moment sometimes. Have you ever seen someone attempting to accomplish a difficult task and they ask for total silence so that they could focus solely on their task? As much as I love to talk, at times, I crave silence. One time we were driving home from my mom and dad’s house when Mac was 4 and Gwenn was 2, it was late and we had had a day full of fun and sunshine. Mac fell asleep on the way home and a few minutes later Gwenn started crying. We asked her, “What’s the matter? Why are you crying?” Gwenn replied, “Me tryin’ to sleep but Mackie snorin’ too loud!” We cracked up, poor baby, she was ready for some silence, peace, and rest.
On the other hand, there have been times in my life when silence was deafening. When it should have been filled by words of peace, comfort, hope, life, forgiveness, and love. There have been times when I’ve filled silence in the wrong way full of words of anger, bitterness, hurt, and spite. I think we can all relate to times we can remember when we should have spoken up and times when we should have chosen to be silent. We know that silence can heal and hurt, reveal and conceal, and even sound louder than the roar of the ocean. Silence can point to defeat and it can point to victory. Silence allows us to hear from God and can also reveal how far we may have strayed from Him.
A while back we took a group of teens to camp and they were playing a game with a bunch of other teens from different churches. As the game heated up, a young man began to lose his temper, he was upset about a call that had been made because he believed it wasn’t fair. He went to his leader and loudly complained, he was angry. His leader responded with one word: “Peace.” In that moment I watched all of his anger melt away. The young man took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and chose peace. They have no idea the lesson they taught me that day. How very loudly their peace, their choice to not raise their voices in anger, echoed across the field and into my heart: Peace. Ephesians 4:29&31, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear…Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice.”
When I think about the Roar of Silence, I can’t help but think about our Savior on the Cross of Calvary when He cried out to Father God, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When He heard no response from Him. I think of the moments after our Jesus took His last breath on that cross. I can’t help but imagine His momma’s heart breaking, the despair of His followers, the feeling that all hope had been lost. I think about the hill, Golgotha, I think about when everyone went home, how they must have felt. Empty. Lost. Alone. Confused. Afraid. I think about the silence of the tomb, how for three days there was silence – the sound of crickets, hushed whispers, tears, broken hearts – yet not a single sound from the tomb. Sometimes the Roar of Silence is loudest after our deepest disappointments and sunless days. It is during these times, when we sit in the silence, that we must be extremely careful to Who and what we listen to. In the Roar of Silence cling to and claim the Promises of God. After all, God knows what is coming and He knew the only way for us to have a restored relationship with Him was through His Son’s sacrifice. Praise God, that we serve the One True God. Death and hell hold no power over our Savior!
Acts 2:24, 27-28, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it…For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.”
I am so thankful we serve a God who knows the best way to use silence and Who teaches us the importance of learning when to speak up and when to remain silent.
Matthew 28:6-7a, “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead.”
Read: Psalm 30 and Psalm 143
Consider: What are some different examples from the Bible or your own life in which Silence spoke in powerful ways?
Do: List examples that you can choose to allow silence it’s proper place in your life.
Prayer: Write out a prayer asking God to help you know when to speak and when to remain silent. Ask Him to help you to learn to be comfortable in silent moments and to trust Him in every moment, including the loud and quiet ones.
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