WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SILENT - 12/15/15 Sadell Bradley -New Life Covenant Cincinnati

Silent means not making or accompanied by any sound; not speaking. The word is used in both positive and negative contexts: "The strong, silent type," is a person who is not prone to speak much. "Giving the silent treatment," is a stubborn refusal to talk to someone after a recent argument. Our words have power - whether spoken or unspoken. Ecclesiastes 3:7 states that there is "a time to keep silence and a time to speak."  We'd do well to distinguish between the two. Sometimes we don't know what to do or say, or what the best answer is. At other times we do, but it is better to keep our unsolicited opinions to ourselves. Our reputations are augmented by our ability to be tight-lipped. "Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues." (Proverbs 17:28)  Silence is golden.   
 

"But no man can tame the tongue," James 3:8 tells us, "it is restless and evil, full of deadly poison."  It blesses and worships God, then curses its fellow man. (vs. 9)  He calls the tongue a 'flame of fire" and a "world of wickedness" that is able to corrupt our entire body, set our lives on fire and end us up in Hell! (vs. 6) "Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way." (vs 2) Hmmm...maybe I've been directing my self-control goals and efforts in the wrong direction! What if our ability to overcome our appetites and sins could be directly impacted by controlling our tongues FIRST?!!   OH MY!!

 

I attended a Quaker School called Friends' Central in Merion, PA for 12 years. Each Wednesday, worship services called Quaker Meetings were held in complete silence unless someone was moved by God or their own revelation to share a thought that would benefit the group. Can you imagine an auditorium of children/teens sitting in silence for a whole period of 45 minutes?!  Well, we did! weekly. It was one of the BEST experiences of my life. The discipline of silence kick-started my ability to listen: to hear from God and others, and to reflect on my own thoughts - which has served me tremendously well. Here's an exercise: Turn everything around you off, still your mind and sit in total silence for 2 minutes with your hands on your knees.  See if you can do it, many adults cannot. Silence is a form or worship. "The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habakkuk 2:20)