Silence: friend or foe
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Drown Out the Noise
Worship in the Silence
“When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven…” Revelation 8:1
S i l e n c e !
WHAT was happening during the half hour space of silence? Not what was going to happen, but what were Heaven’s inhabitants doing during this eternal moment? (there is no time in eternity, yet, John records it as “about half an hour.”)
WHEN reading this verse, I sensed in my spirit, a heaviness and an anticipatory ‘waiting upon the Lord.’ The timing of His next move is unknown to everyone except the Sovereign God of the universe. His splendor and glory are great beyond words.
There was silence; Then I heard a voice saying: ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? Job :15-17 Silence preceded this revelation.
IS NOISE drowning out the whispers? The whispers of Heaven meant for your ears.
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Up to this point in “time” in Heaven, there was constant action, (Rev 4:8):
“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:
‘Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!’”
They never rest from their purpose for existing—EXCEPT at the moment the seal was broken, and all eternity went silent for a half hour. A deep, intentional silence.
Be silent in the presence of the Lord God; For the day of the Lord is at hand, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests. Zeph 1:7
Do We Fear Silence?
HOW LONG can you go without any intentional noise? What are we afraid we might “hear”? Our inner crying? Pain? Anxiety? Guilt?
Mindfulness: the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. (online dictionary)
“The cultivation of mindfulness requires periods of focused attention. …before considering how to focus attention, we must first consider our relationship with silence.” Psyche Central
If the fear of silence is a learned behavior, it can be unlearned.
“…and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.“
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“You may love to be immersed in music. It keeps you company, gives you a rhythm, fires your brain, makes your juices flow…. And it has also been found to impair our concentration and ability to remember….If we lose our inner silence, we lose our very self.” Psychology Today (emphasis mine)
What is it about silence that psychologists are only now discovering that Heaven has always understood?
Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation…
and my hope…. Psalm 62:1,5
SILENCE can be a form of reverent worship.
- Not filling it with busyness.
- Not filling it with constant chatter (including praise).
- Silence before the Living God, letting His heart speak to yours.
Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord,
for He is aroused from His holy habitation!” Zech 2:13
AN AUDIENCE is always silent for those few seconds when the orchestra conductor lifts his baton and eyes the array of musicians, their instruments raised in anticipation of playing the first note on command.
How long are we willing to wait…
wait in the heaviness and the anticipation?
Is hearing the whisper of God
worth your time to linger . . .
to stay longer than necessary
in the sweet calmness
of silence?
