S) "1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour."
Revelation 8:1 (NASB)
O) You know when you were a kid, and you and your siblings were messing around in the bedroom when you were supposed to be cleaning, and then maybe something breaks and it makes a loud noise. Then, you and your sibling are scrambling, arguing, trying to figure out what to do. And maybe another sibling comes in, hearing the noise, and is incredulous about what's gone down, and they're giving you warnings about the trouble that's coming. Then the door opens and your dad is standing there, taking in the scene without saying a word, and you and your siblings fall completely silent. You know something serious is about to happen. You're scared to make a noise, for fear of making anything worse. You don't even try to defend yourself, you're just totally enraptured by the authority that has just revealed himself. Even the innocent sibling, who only came into the room to help, is completely silent on your behalf, as if to mourn for the discipline you are about to receive, because they know how bad it's going to hurt. This is the scene in heaven when that seventh seal was broken. There is a reverence in silence.
There is submission in silence.
There is sympathy in silence.
There is condolence in silence.
Seven trumpets were about to sound, and the tribulation that had been experienced up until this point, was about to get exponentially worse. There are a lot of descriptions that follow this silence, but in a lot of ways, that silence says more than anything described with the trumpet blasts. That quiet before the storm, that heavenly, wordless lament, carries with it a warning that is felt deeper than any danger described.
A) Silence is unbearable. It's strange to be in total silence. When I have tried to observe silence for a long time, I've noticed that I almost hear phantom noises. It's like my brain can't handle the silence, so it makes something up. There are a lot of reasons to be silent. Showing sympathy for a loss, there are times people ask for a moment of silence to remember the fallen. In prayer, it's easy to ask, ask, ask, without ever asking God to speak, and silently waiting for Him to move. But, perhaps the most overlooked purpose for me to be silent, is in anticipation for what someone is about to face. Too often, I want to chime in with advice or warning. Too often, I want to tell a story of my own, about similar circumstances. I think there is a place for that kind of response. However, I also think there is a place for silence. There is a place to show my understanding, sympathy, or unity, by saying nothing at all.
P) Father, continue to work in me. I confess that I am foolish much too often, when it comes to appreciating silence. Teach me patience and wisdom, Lord. Help me to understand when silence is the better part of sympathy. Help me to understand when silence is the better part of warning. Open my eyes and ears, and close my mouth. Help me to practice silence, Lord. Please continue to mold me into the man I should be, and let Your will be done in all things. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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