Silence is an
incredibly hard word to discuss and learn about. We know very little about silence in our very
loud and distracted world. We do not
appreciate the silence; choosing the loud over the quiet most days and in most
ways. As with everything else, there are
those exceptions to the rule on both sides of the subject. We want to look at the element of “what peace
there may be in silence.” This very
phrase begs us to unpack the truths and, yet we shy away from that very truth
once found. We want to know but with no
changes that we don’t approve of in our lives or the lives of those around
us.
In
fact, we read the sentence and go right past the first word: Remember! We can make the following observations when
understanding the word. The word is
indicative of what we already knew or know.
Remember and don’t forget.
Remember and celebrate. Remember
to teach our children to remember. In fact,
our lives are filled with anniversaries, birthdays, deaths, and other useful
remembrances. None greater for the
Christian than remembering who God has brought you to be. We also remember the promises and continue to
make future remembrances. Are these
promises that we make? Do we remember
the promises that God makes? The Word is
full of them. In fact, the first
commandment (and only commandment) carries a promise to us. That commandment says we are to honor our
father and mother that it might go well with you in your days (life).
It’s
a telling of a story from generation to generation. What story have we taught our children? What story were we told? For some reason I remember my life
differently than some others who knew me.
Point of view is primary in not only the telling of the story but also
the learning of the story. Stories over
time become unrecognizable and even untrue.
It’s like the whispering game where one-person whispers something
quickly to the person next to them. This
goes around the circle and the last person says out loud what they heard. Most of the time their rendition is nothing
like what was the first statement. It’s
important for us to not distort the Gospel and maintain the integrity of its
message. Within the generations it’s
important to understand that the Word never changes. It is a constant in a world without constants. It’s essential to not only hear correctly,
but to remember correctly the Word.
Without the clear teaching of God through the Bible and the Holy Spirit
the story loses importance. We don’t
want that to happen. When the Bible is
ingrained in our minds, hearts, and souls we can share that which we know to be
true. It is only through Jesus Christ
that man can be saved.
Remembering
is what compels us to share. I know it’s
hard for us to feel the compulsion to spread the salvation Christ brought to
us. Yet we do not have a hard time
reliving a wrong call from a referee that cost your team the trophy. Paul says that we need to run the race and
deliver the message so that souls would be saved. Waiting for those who do so will be a crown
in Heaven. So, do not be afraid to tell
others the reason for your faith. Tell
them about Jesus.
I need to say that this chapter is not
about keeping your mouth shut. Rather,
it’s about keeping your mouth open for God’s use to further work His will. The
silence we speak of is the ability to quiet ourselves so that all is silent
except the voice of God. No cares
weighing upon us. No worries about
tomorrow. Not having to do this or
that. Busy work distracting us from the
love and grace of God. We barely are
silent enough to pray a blessing on our meals much less any other time in our
hurried and distracted lives. Worry,
anxiety, panic and other such emotions that have never been quieted well up in
the human soul of even the best of Christian.
We were not promised that life would be without problem or
distraction. What we were promised is
that God would be there with us. It
would be the refuge we should run to when we need to be silent. When would we need to be silent? For beginners, when we are awake. All the time!
Mankind has used multiple means to bring about peace in their
lives. None of them have really worked
except those committed to the Lord Jesus Christ in their heart, soul and
mind. It is then and only then that the
Christian can truly be speaking the Word to a world that does not know
Jesus. That’s why we are here; isn’t
it? The Bible says our purpose is to
bring glory to God. That’s all. Nothing more.
Nothing less. How can we do this
task? We cannot without the silencing of
the distractions of our lives to hear God.
But, you say, who can hear the voice of God? Do we really have a God who speaks to us
personally as well as collectively? We can
REALLY hear the voice of God. We do
REALLY have a God who speaks to us personally and collectively.
The whole of creation shouts out his
glory and existence. Why don’t we? I would suggest that the answer to that
question might just be found in our understanding of how complex we have made
our lives. At least how complex I have
made mine. I cannot speak for
everyone. Do you remember the last time
you just sat in the quiet and put all things out of your mind, so you could
just be available to God? Yes, it’s
difficult the first few times you try to do so.
How bad do you want the peace of God that passes all understanding? Do you want it as bad as you want your
morning cup of coffee? How about as much
as your spouse being happy? Maybe as bad
as you want that promotion at work.
Perhaps as much as you want those six-pack abs. I don’t know your story. You do though and it’s up to you to find the
quiet time for you with God. If we
cannot recognize the voice of God how will we know when he speaks to us? Jesus himself urged us to keep the Word in
our heart and ready for any circumstance.
Always having an answer for the things of God. Whether you believe this or not is
immaterial. God does have answers for
everything in any circumstance. It’s
that simple.
Okay, it’s not that simple. Let’s apply a little “order” to listening to
the voice of God. I learned it a long
time ago while I was with Youth with a Mission.
Praying according to Acts. Acts
phonetically is Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication
(requests). The act of adoration is
just telling God what we know to be true about him. He is mighty, powerful, gentle, graceful,
wise, a savior, creator, and so the list goes.
Don’t recite it as you would a spelling list. During your time of prayer when you are
seeking silence utter whatever God puts upon your heart. Give it time and it will come. Practice makes entering the presence of God
easier and easier. Confession is both
simple and the hardest of the steps. We
don’t like to confess. We live our lives
as if God doesn’t know what we have omitted or committed as sin during our
day. He is all knowing. We need to get over ourselves and confess our
sins. Not only the ones we are aware of
but also those we haven’t thought about.
If we have spent the time in adorations God will speak when we ask him
to show us what sins, we need to address.
Keep in mind we have a loving gracious God who has our best interests in
his heart. As you confess your sin(s)
ask for forgiveness and THEN believe that God has forgiven you. He says that when we do this he “remembers
our sins no more.” Wow! I can approach every day with a clean heart
if I will do these simple steps. We will still sin because we are a fallen
people who are no longer able to live as God had intended. Thank you, Adam and Eve. Confession may take a bit of time the first
few times you come into the presence of God.
Let it take all the time He needs to clean you up. Okay, so we have spent the time adoring our loving
Savior and confessing our sins so that our hearts are clean and usable by
Him. Now what? It’s simple really; thank him. Thanksgiving is a time of rejoicing with God
for all that he has done for you, those around you, and those distant from
you. It’s a time of seeing the hand of
God working with your loved ones as much as your enemies. Yes, even your enemies. Jesus says we should pray for our
enemies. Thanksgiving is for victory and
deliverance. Thanksgiving is for
wellness as well as a loved one going home to be with Jesus. The final healing and answer to our prayer of
seeing Jesus face to face. As with
Adoration and Confession do not rush Thanksgiving. Take your time. Understand “time” belongs to God. He will make all the time in the world for
you. You are his child adopted through
the blood of Jesus.
I’ve separated “supplication” for a very
good reason. This is the dangerous
one. James, kid brother to Jesus, says
in the book he has written that we need to be careful in what we ask for. Why?
Because we are selfish and ask from our own wisdom. Seldom do we ask what God would like us to
ask. James says we ask and receive not
because we ask with wrong motives. What
could possibly be wrong asking Jesus for the salvation of your bother, healing
of an aunt, and the list goes on.
Nothing if it’s what God wants.
We have an “idea” of what God might want but we don’t really know for
sure. So, we throw up prayers from
“our” minds and hearts and not his. It’s
true we are asked to pour out our hearts to him when we are in many different
situations. I’m not disputing that
fact. There are some pretty good
parameters that we are asked to pray within.
If we have taken seriously the exercise to give adoration to God,
confess our sins, and spent time thanking Him for all that he has done, been
and will be; then we should be able to wait and pray for what He puts on our
hearts. Don’t worry he has all the bases
covered and there are others out there praying for your stuff even though you
don’t know it.
While in Germany with YWAM we spent
several days in prayer teams. We prayed
around the clock for a team entering Russia to deliver Bibles to the
underground church on May 1, 1973. When
we gathered as a group each day, we reported what God had put on our hearts to
pray for. One group told the rest of us
that God had led them to pray for a milk truck.
Okay, that’s off the charts! So
we continued to pray for the milk truck.
A week later, back from Russia, the team addressed our group. They began telling their story and related
that they had all these Bibles to bring into Russia but didn’t have a place to
hide them to cross the border. A local
man had a milk truck that they put the Bibles in on the floor and then put a
floor over it. They then prayed that God
would blind the eyes of the guards and they drove confidently into Russia. No one looked in the milk truck. The mission went on as planned and many
underground Christians were blessed as a result.
Do
you understand that God’s mission to save people’s lives depend on your and my
obedience to pray what are the desires of His heart? To be able to enter the presence of God in
adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication is essential to our lives
and the lives of those around us. Being
able to remember what God has done and to rest in the peace that is in silence
before him is a truly wonderful transporting event. As we begin to see that life isn’t about me
but about Jesus the movement of God in our lives will increase. In the end we can say as many have before us:
“not my will but thine be done.” Believe
He will do it in you. In the end it’s
better to pray for too much than too little.
“Remember
what peace there may be in silence.”
I
hope you have come to a better understanding where peace comes from and by what
means. You can’t do it for yourself any
more than I can do it for myself. As you
travel the path that God has given you look out for those who do not have
peace. You can tell the ones that do not
have peace. When you see them, as Jesus
did, have pity on them and pray for them.
If God should choose to use you to bring the Gospel to them be ready by
having the word in your heart. Do not
make apologies for Jesus. There is no
need. For a lot of the people around you
their life of sin is more important than Jesus.
This includes “Christians” who profess to believe. As you go to work, remember the work that
Jesus did. He was a carpenter and a
leather smith. Remember he was gentle with
the children and wove together a whip for those who had defiled the
Temple. If you stay home by choice or
not; use the time wisely to bring Jesus to those in your world. Offer a hand to the needy and turn no one
away when they are in need. Teach the
children (all) around you about the saving grace of Jesus. Remember that what we do is the only Gospel
some people will see. I must confess I
have blown that one more than I can count.
I don’t like that in me. I should
be asking who is on the throne of my life every morning, noon and evening. As Paul states those things he should do he
doesn’t and those things he should not do he does. That’s me!
Go
placidly amidst the noise and haste.
Remember what peace there may be in silence. If we could just do these first two things
our lives would be turned upside down.
Those close to us could not go without being affected. The contagion from Jesus living through us
would attract all who are looking for the answers of their questions. Who are you in Christ? Who are they?
Do we want to be remembered for doing all we could for Christ? Or do we want to be remembered for what we
did not do? God waits for our
answer. He is a patient and gracious God
and he cannot make us do that which we do not choose. But we know, don’t we? We know what He wants from us. Like me, you may have spent a good part of
your life making excuses for not doing, saying or being what God wanted, needed
and longed for. He just wanted me. All of me.
In
2009 I was in an accident in a surgery room at a hospital that will go
unnamed. When I came out of surgery I
was paralyzed from the waist down. After
spending a week in the hospital and finally being able to move somewhat I was
sent home. Laying in my recliner feeling
sorry for myself I chose to be mad at God.
I asked him “Why?” but did not wait for an answer. I blamed him for not protecting me but did
not look at what he had saved me from. I
became angry and used that anger to keep God at arm’s length. For the next 3 years I was distant from God
even though I knew better. I have damage
to my lower body that will not go away.
After those three years I began to melt.
God came to me from different angles prodding me back to life. His life.
My being able to write this is testimony to all who read that God is a
gracious and loving god. Today I walk
most of the time with a cane. It’s okay,
I can walk. Today I do not go through a
day without pain. It’s okay, I can
feel. Today I am limited on how long I
can do a lot of things. Yet, it’s okay,
I can do things. You see, God helped me
back to remembering. He helped slow me
down and took me away from the noise and haste.
He waited for me to listen. So, I
now go forth and sometimes still get caught up in the noise and haste. I remember sooner than later and do enjoy the
peace I find in the silence. God is not dead,
nor does he sleep.
It’s
my prayer that you will step back and let God step forward in your life. Not for His sake (although that’s good) but
for your and others sake. Let the Word
be the guide of your living and the reason for your hope.
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