By David Faust
Composer Wolfgang Mozart once observed, “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.” The problem is, I’m not good at being silent. What about you?
The Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10), not “Be loud and pretend that you are God.”
In John’s vision of God’s dwelling place, “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1), but here on earth we’re seldom silent for five minutes—even in church. Does your congregation spend much time worshipping together in silence? Are there times in your services for quiet prayers that say, “Father, we love you because . . .”?
Do you build quietness into your daily schedule? The Bible says, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life” (1 Thessalonians 4:11), but how can we do that in hectic times when so much is going on? Does the Lord really expect us to shut off our TVs and laptops, power down our cell phones, quit talking so much, and be still in his presence? Yes, I believe he does.
Questions Abound
The prophet Habakkuk asked God a good question: “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Habakkuk 1:2). Has your patience ever worn thin and you asked the Lord, When will this problem finally be resolved? How long will it take before you respond to my prayers?
In his frank dialogue with the Almighty, Habakkuk had more complaints to express. “Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?” (v. 3). Maybe you have asked questions like those, too. Lord, why is there so much injustice in the world? Why don’t you intervene and fix everything?
Sometimes the answers don’t come until we stop talking and listen.
Silence Is Golden
According to Mark Twain, “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” Habakkuk 2:20 is a rightly timed pause. In the middle of his questions and complaints, Habakkuk paused and wrote, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”
When the Lord spoke, his answers weren’t what the Jewish people wanted to hear. God’s justice would be satisfied, but the divine plan included allowing the Babylonians to attack Jerusalem and take the Jews into exile. God’s revealed message “will not prove false” (Habakkuk 2:3), but while awaiting its fulfillment, his people must live by faith (v. 4).
It’s difficult to hear God’s voice when our lives are noisy and cluttered. “In quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). When we come before the Lord in hushed reverence, we discover God is faithful even when life is unfair, and he can be trusted even when nothing seems to be going right.
After Habakkuk got his questions off his chest, he wrote, “Though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). We can offer that kind of prayer, too, if we quiet down enough to recognize that the greatest treasure isn’t money in the bank or food on the table, but the joy of the Lord in our hearts.
Personal Challenge: This week, set aside an hour to be silent and listen to the Lord.
Author: David Faust
David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.
Great perspective. Thank you! I heard a pastor say once that, “at least half of our prayer time should be listening and not talking.”
Thank you, David, for this beautiful, timely, message.
As you noted, how hard to be still, how blessed if we are.