Silence
By Elin Henderson
“I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good.”
Psalm 39:2 (NKJV)
Silence is not a topic which many embrace. My generation is not known for holding its peace, but rather speaking its mind! Don’t bottle up your feelings! Don’t beat around the bush! Just come right out and say what is on your mind! Defend yourself, stand up for yourself, don’t be a pushover! These are all common mantras which have been ingrained in us from childhood up. Then, some of us are endowed by our Creator with an even stronger tendency to speak out! I often have wondered why I suffer so strongly from “foot in mouth” disease!
God’s Word has a tremendously different viewpoint of the value of silence. Psalm 39:1-3 has some pretty strong statements all about restraint, silence, and guarded (if any) speech. The psalmist here reminds us to let God, who knows you best, be your defense! We don’t have to constantly have our opinion known, or defense laid out, when we have a far better ONE who will take on our cases! Does another key figure come to mind when we talk about silence? How about Christ? He “opened not His mouth” but committed Himself to His Father (Acts 8:32). The One who had more right than any of us to defend Himself and expose truth, submitted Himself to the Father and committed His case into His hands!
Many examples in Scripture assure us that if we are willing to be silent and trust Him to work and move, He (God the Father) will not be silent. He will restore us and will bring forth truth in His time and in His way. Our part is simply to “wait silently for God alone.” He who knows the beginning from the end and holds the universe in His hand can surely handle our defense!
The significance of silence! Oh, that we could fully grasp the depth of it! For me, it would mean a lot less cases of “foot in mouth” disease! So many times as I state my defense and lofty opinions, I end up doing far more damage than intended! May we all embrace silence and wait on Him to speak for us! It may not be forever - - He may very well open a door for us to speak - - but until then, may we find the peace that comes in reciting a new mantra from Isaiah 30:15b: “In quietness [silence] and confidence shall be your strength!”
GOING DEEPER:
1. Can you think of any other key figures in Bible (or Christian) history who embraced silence? What can you learn from them?
2. Who will one day have the say (and not keep silent) in ALL cases and defenses?
FURTHER READING:
Psalms 39:12, 62; Isaiah 32:7; Hebrews 1:13, 10:13
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to eleven-year-old Callie and nine-year-old Elias.
