Shush / SHo͝oSH
Quiet, Pipe down, Put a sock in it
Silence belongs to an earlier age. Ours is an age of noise. To listen is very hard. For many, me included if I’m not careful, it takes an concerted effort to listen more and speak less. Attentiveness asks that we still ourselves and aggressively practice an inner stability that says I no longer need to prove myself by words, speeches or arguments; by making accurate or even a profound statements. True listeners don’t have to verbally make their presence known. Accomplished listeners are free to receive, welcome and accept.
God’s Silence Is Biblical, Personal, Common, and Not Always a Bad Thing
Sometimes God is confidently and auspiciously quiet. The Psalmist penned: O God of my praise, Do not be silent! Often the Eternal doesn't give us more explanations or verbiage. He knows we don't need more words of instruction. Rather His silence is deafening and intimate at the same time.
"When you cannot hear God," says Oswald Chambers, "you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible — with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation."
To grow as a believer and in the ways of the Christ, I have to continue to hone my ability to listen, well. The power of listening is stronger than the ability to speak. Consider that almost all of Jesus’ kingdom parables are quiet stories. According to Jesus the kingdom of God is like seed being sown, like plants growing, like bread rising. Very domestic. It’s like a woman sweeping her house, like a shepherd searching for a lost sheep, like a wayward son coming home, finally. It seldom gets much louder than the music and dancing of a house party or a wedding.
Accepting the Mystery
God’s silence can lead us to transformation. Quietude. Sometimes what causes us the most pain and confusion isn’t what God says to us but the fact that in the midst of difficulty he seems to say nothing at all. The mystery: when the silence is real in your life, recognize that you are not alone in the stillness. The moment we take even a tiny shuffle forward, what God is already thinking is this: I love you. You've got this. You know and have enough...