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Pastor Tim Wilbur • Apr 30, 2021

The truth doesn't always need to be stated

The Wisdom of Silence

Many years ago on Make a Difference Day, the churches in our community were gathering in our church parking lot for prayer and our assignments before we embarked upon our work for that Saturday in October. As the volunteers gathered there awaiting their assignments, they were looking to someone for leadership. However, the leader for the event itself was running late and many of the folks were coming to me asking what they were supposed to do. Not wanting to seem uninformed, even though I was completely clueless, I began making excuses for the real leader of the event. One particular couple felt less than impressed by what I was saying and the wife shushed me. You know like, like the Dog Whisperer. She cut me off in mid sentence. I was speechless at her rudeness toward me. Of course, there were a few choice things I would have loved to have said to her. Yet, I held my tongue, which is rare for me, yet it was likely the wisest choice considering the circumstances.

Mark, the writer of the Gospel book that bears his name, writes about the day Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him to the top of a "high" mountain". As Jesus was praying, He was changed and His 3 friends saw Him in a way they had never seen Him before. It was an incredible sight! Then they were joined there by Moses and Elijah who began conversing with Jesus about the things that were going to happen in the near future. The disciples are amazed and terrified! They had no words...and yet Peter begins to speak. Have you ever been there? You didn't know what to say, however you said something anyway. Yeah, me too! God shushed Peter telling him, instead of talking, he should listen to His son. But Jesus wasn't talking. When He does break His silence, He tells the 3 not to talk about what they experienced until after He was resurrected. They are totally baffled.

Thinking about the various situations when I have felt compelled to speak even though I didn't really know what to say causes me to cringe a little. I've done it more often than I like to admit. At times fear causes me to blurt out words better left unsaid. Like the disciple on the "high mountain", I rely upon my fallback plan when I'm afraid and the silence is almost unbearable. I speak rather than seek the words of Jesus and listen for His response. There is great wisdom in not saying something just for the sake of having said something. "Shush, listen to Jesus!"

"Shush, listen to Jesus!"

The Scriptures tell us that "perfect love drives out fear". Fear ambushes us from many directions. We are plagued by the fear of being too vulnerable or of being viewed as incompetent. The fear of being misunderstood can cause us to overstate our point of view, when silence might actually allow us to state more clearly what is in our hearts after we have thought it over a bit. Nearly every verbal response that is triggered by our fears will be inadequate to bring about the best case scenario. I believe it is fair to say that responses that originate from love have a much greater success rate than those whose genesis is fear. Of course, it requires a lot of self discipline to keep our tongues in check, especially when we are afraid; a discipline not easily learned in the moment, but one that is instilled over time as we practice silence and solitude.

Yet, it is in the silence and solitude that we often hear the inner voice that accuses and condemns. This voice is so familiar to us, sounding like an authority on our personhood. At times, in an attempt to silence this voice, we will turn on the music, seek a less private place or find another distraction. Sadly, they do not silence it, they only drown it out for the time being only to be encountered at another time. What is to be done? We must remain in our solitude, asking Jesus to speak to what we are hearing and to help us confront it. Otherwise, we can be left with the voice of the accuser ringing in our inner ears and miss what the Savior would say about us and to us. He does not come to accuse and condemn, but to save. He speaks to us according to love and tells us the truth about ourselves. These are powerful words we need to hear so that, over time, we will turn a deaf ear to the voice of accusation and hear "only Jesus". This is the "green meadows and peaceful streams" where our souls are truly and lovingly restored.

It is in learning this discipline over time that we are better able to discern the words of Jesus. Our souls are desperate for a word from Him. Eventually, we come to know His voice as it becomes more and more familiar to us. Too often, though, we have put words that come from elsewhere into the mouth of Jesus without truly considering the source of such words. We must ask ourselves, "Is this the way Jesus spoke as recorded in the Christian Scriptures? Did He ever speak in such a way to His sheep? Are the words I am hearing in my soul words that save and restore or are they destructive words? His words are "spirit and life."

"Perfect love casts out fear"

When we observe the Lord's table and receive the communion elements in remembrance of Jesus, we declare a moment of silence before feasting on His body and blood. We make this declaration because silence is the proper response to being amazed and experiencing the presence of our Lord. John, the Revelator, writes what he sees in the Book of Revelation. He sees the Lamb of God absorb the suffering of the world and even heaven is silent for awhile. This is what happens when we pause and contemplate this great mercy of God; His body broken and His blood spilled for the sins of the world. It is a moment of worship and gratitude. Silence is the proper response! There are no adequate words.

"See from His head, His hands, His feet

Sorrow and long flow mingled down!

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet;

Or love compose so rich a crown?"

Sir Isaac Watts

In closing, allow me to make reference to a few proverbs in the Hebrew Scriptures. In one place, the writer tells us not to answer a fool in his folly, while telling us in the very next verse to answer him in his folly. This seems to many to be a contradiction. However, I believe these verses speak to this very discussion we are having in this blog. We exercise discernment in considering what to say and when to say against what not to say and when not to say it. Some things may be true yet may not need to be spoken at a specific time. As they say in baseball, sometimes instead of making a throw you just put the ball in your pocket to avoid a senseless, but well intentioned error. This adage is also true in conjunction with our speech. Instead of saying it, just put the words in your pocket to avoid saying something that is well intentioned, but ill advised.