Silence/Silent
Ø Learn
about our individual relationship with the Father.
Ø Establish,
develop, rekindle or strengthen our personal connection with God through an
understanding and application of God’s word.
Ø Commune
(live with, communicate, give and receive) with God in a natural setting.
Ø Establish,
develop, rekindle or strengthen the relationships between believers as fellow
travelers God has joined together for this portion of our journey.
Silence/Silent
We have several examples of times when we are to be silent,
or at least quiet before the Lord.
Consider the following biblical passages.
Deut 27:9-10
9 Then Moses and the priests, who are Levites, said to all
Israel, "Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the LORD your God. 10 Obey the
LORD your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today."
NIV
Listen: Verb. In Hebrew, shama`, "to hear, hearken,
listen, obey, publish." (3)
Job 13:5
5 If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom. NIV
As silence is an evidence of wisdom, so it is a means of it,
as it gives time to think and hear. (1)
Prov 17:28
28 Even a fool is thought wise if he
keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. NIV
It is better to say nothing than to speak with the purpose
of, or that which tends to dishonor God or bring grief on our brethren. [Paraphrased] (1)
Lam 3:25
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one
who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the
salvation of the LORD.
NIV
It is good (it is our duty, and will be our unspeakable
comfort and satisfaction) to hope and quietly to wait for the salvation of the
Lord. (1)
Eccl 3:1-8
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every
activity under heaven: 2 a time to be
born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill
and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep
and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter
stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a
time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to
speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a
time for peace. NIV
It is a great part of Christian prudence to know when to
speak and when to hold our peace. (1)
Ezek 3:24-27
24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He
spoke to me and said: "Go, shut yourself inside your
house. 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will
be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue
stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and
unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak
to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, `This is what the
Sovereign LORD says.' Whoever will listen let him listen, and
whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house. NIV
This is an example of God telling His prophet to be silent
until He allows him to speak, and instructing him then, to speak only what God
tells him to say. (4)
Hab 2:19-20
19 Woe to him who says to wood, `Come to life!' Or to
lifeless stone, `Wake up!' Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and
silver; there is no breath in it. 20 But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all
the earth be silent before him." NIV
The Chaldeans were idol worshippers whom the Isrealites
contended with. The Isrealites often
adapted the local culture into their own.
This is spoken to the Chaldeans to show them that our God is truely
alive whereas their gods were made of dead material. (4)
Mark 3:4
4 Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the
Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they
remained silent. NIV
They had to remain silent, for they knew they could not
answer. So often, we answer in haste,
depending on our own judgment. Although
these men had inappropriate designs for Jesus, they remained silent in order to
preserve themselves. (4)
Acts 15:12
12 The whole assembly became silent as they
listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders
God had done among the Gentiles through them. NIV
The congregation was captivated, and I imagine were growing
excited to learn of the possibilities in serving our great God! (4)
Lam 3:25-29
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the
one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is
young. 28 Let him
sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him. 29 Let him bury
his face in the dust- there may yet be hope. NIV
Quietly and
patiently to bear what afflictions God will please to lay upon us. And if God
tame us when young, by his word or by his rod, it is an unspeakable advantage.
That he keep his soul in subjection to God, because God hath humbled him by his
rod.
(2)
Solitude
We don’t want to REMAIN alone, OR silent. However, we have biblical guidance that God
can, and will work wonders in our SOLITUDE and he can and will
speak to us in moments of SILENCE.
It is when God has our full attention that we hear Him most
clearly. When we are distracted by the
cares of this world, we depend on our own instinct and intelligence rather than
on the power of God. We can be
distracted by doing the work of God as well.
When we work in a ministry we can become focused on the procedures
rather than the results.
We have many more examples of worshipping together, rather
than alone, such as Psalms 33 and Psalms 47.
We don’t want to leave the impression that we are alone in our walk, or
in our struggles. However, God is so
much more interested in individuality rather than in our combined
identities. (4)
A look at some examples of God working wondrous things in
the lives of His people reveals
ü That
Samson was alone when he killed the lion in Judges 14:5-9
ü David was
alone when he killed the lion and the bear while tending his father’s flock in
1st Samuel 17:34-36
ü David
walked out and killed the giant Goliath alone in 1st Samuel 17:45-46
ü Jesus
prayed alone in Mark 14:32-35
ü Jonah was
alone in the belly of a whale in Jonah, Chapter 2
ü Moses was
alone at the burning bush when he received his call from God in Exodus 3:1-4
ü Moses was
alone when the ten commandments were received in Exodus, chapter 19
ü Abram
(Abraham) was called out of his own people to follow after God, eventually
becoming the father of a great nation in Gen 12:1
ü Lot and
his family were the lone righteous in Sodom in Genisis, chapter 19
ü Jesus was
alone on the cross – even God couldn’t look upon him (“My God, My God, why have
you forsaken me?”) in Matt 27:46
Gen 32:22-30
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two
maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After
he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was
left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man
saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so
that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said,
"Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you
bless me."
27 The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob," he answered.
28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be
Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have
overcome."
29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."
But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he
blessed him there.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is
because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." NIV
He desired to be private, and was left alone, that he might
again spread his cares and fears before God in prayer. (2)
Mark 4:33-34
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them,
as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without
using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he
explained everything.
NIV
When we get alone with God, without the distractions of
everyday life, He can reveal his Word to our hearts and minds. (4)
Mark 9:2-4
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him
and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he
was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than
anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah
and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
NIV
Look at the opportunities being alone with God has to
offer! We will see things not readily
available to the human understanding.
(4)
Prayer
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and
pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what
is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think
they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you
need before you ask him. Matt 6:6-8
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will
make your paths straight. Do not be
wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. Prov 3:5-7
Using God’s Word, from Psalms, and with this encouragement
from Proverbs pray this prayer during your times of solitude:
(1) Search me, O God, and know my
heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. (2) Create in me a pure
heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (3) May the words of my mouth and the meditation
of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my
Redeemer. (4)I have hidden your word in my
heart that I might not sin against you. (6) I will praise you, O LORD, with all my
heart; I will tell of all your wonders. (7) Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their
heart. (1) Ps
139:23
(2) Ps 51:10
(4) Ps 19:14
(5) Ps 119:11
(6) Ps 9:1
(7) Ps 119:2
Praise
As we’re told in Matt 6:8, God knows what we need, even
before we ask. It stands to reason
therefore, that He also knows of our gratitude, our appreciation, our thanks
and our praise. Yet Scripture is
abundantly clear that we are to praise Him, as a form of worship, and as a form
of service.
Psalms 103 :1
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy
name. 2 Praise the
LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits NIV
I prefer the King James version of this verse:
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all
that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits KJV
Notice here that the words aren’t “Bless the soul, O my
Lord?”
Mark 12:29-34
29 "The most important one," answered Jesus,
"is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: `Love your neighbor
as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
32 "Well said, teacher," the man replied.
"You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33
To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding
and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more
important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to
him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." NIV
I have been asked on several occasions how to love God with
“all your soul” and I have come to the same conclusion as the man in
this passage of scripture. Notice in
verse 33 he replies with the term “understanding”. Jesus considered his answer “wise.”