O LORD, you are my rock of safety. Please help me; don't refuse to answer me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die. Psalm28:1NLT
Silence is suspicious! Ask any parent who suddenly notices that the playful laughter and giggles of their little treasures stop, followed by silence. More often than not, it means they have found something to do that would not be liked by mum and dad. Silence is suspicious. Ask the person who is awakened from a deep sleep by the eerie sound of silence as their house is violated by a cat burglar. Yes, silence is suspicious and unhealthy.
We too become silent at times, but ask yourself when that is most likely to happen? I can see two possibilities at least. One, when a usually down and negative person who talks a lot about all his overstated medical ailments, has come to realise that s/he really IS ill this time so nothing constructive can be added or contrived, so silence is their only way out to save face. And Two, which I think more likely, is the silence of someone who has been hurt in some way by friends or trusted colleagues, but due to a sense of misplaced loyalty cannot, and will not, speak out against them. The realisation that they may not be all that s/he had thought is just too much to bear, so the obvious response becomes a retreated silence. The trouble now is that any underlying issue cannot and will not be addressed.
When your normally upbeat and talkative friend goes quiet, ask yourself why, then do the best and most helpful thing you possibly can. Draw alongside to let them know you are here for them, and most of all, you care. You may never know in this life the good you have done, but be assured, your friend will know. A parting thought because the opposite holds true too: If you, or no one else, comes alongside for them, that has an equal and opposite effect on your friend.
We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up. When we have the opportunity to do good to anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers. Galatians6:9-10ERV
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Showing posts with label silent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label silent. Show all posts
Saturday, 2 March 2019
Friday, 1 February 2019
Who Cares?
It’s a good question, but sometimes asked in a flippant or sarcastic tone. A good friend starts to tell you how bad their day has been, you zone out, and find yourself saying to yourself ‘who cares’ anyway. The classroom know-it-all starts to explain the finer points of the previous lesson, and you think or even say, ‘who cares’?
In Scotland we have mastered the fine art of sarcasm (and some see it as a humorous artform) but the same cannot be said about speaking encouraging pleasantries. These are pushed aside, out of the way, because they are seen as soft, and show a caring, sensitive side and we can’t be having that now, can we? Anyway, who cares if you are offended by that sarcasm?
Church is different for the most part, with people being nice, and showing that they care. Whoa! Back up! Sure the Bible tells us to love one another, and by that characteristic all will know you are Jesus’ disciples. Ah, I hear you say, but can’t we be sarcastic at the same time as being loving and caring? I suggest not.
Take it a step further. Something a Christian can do that no other group can do, is pray. We can pray for the sick, the hurting, the lonely, the unsaved, and that is all good and shows our concern, and that we really do care. But can’t we pray at the same time as we are sarcastic? Of course not!
The real problem for me, is not when there is an absence of sarcasm, encouraging words, or even prayer. It’s the silence. That’s what hits and hurts the most. I remember clearly being in Christian company in church when one of the ladies said to my late wife. “You do know we are praying for you?” Neither she nor I knew that they were praying. No one said. There was silence. My wife had cancer and didn’t survive the disease, so lost out from the knowledge that people in the church at that time were praying. Silence. There were two lessons for me in that short conversation. The first is to pray when you say you will pray. Don’t talk about it to your friends, but do it. That brings me to the second lesson, which is to tell them you are praying for them right in their time of need. They need to hear it. Trust me on this. The person you are praying for needs to know you care enough to pray. They need to know you care. We need to care, and be seen to care!
In Scotland we have mastered the fine art of sarcasm (and some see it as a humorous artform) but the same cannot be said about speaking encouraging pleasantries. These are pushed aside, out of the way, because they are seen as soft, and show a caring, sensitive side and we can’t be having that now, can we? Anyway, who cares if you are offended by that sarcasm?
Church is different for the most part, with people being nice, and showing that they care. Whoa! Back up! Sure the Bible tells us to love one another, and by that characteristic all will know you are Jesus’ disciples. Ah, I hear you say, but can’t we be sarcastic at the same time as being loving and caring? I suggest not.
Take it a step further. Something a Christian can do that no other group can do, is pray. We can pray for the sick, the hurting, the lonely, the unsaved, and that is all good and shows our concern, and that we really do care. But can’t we pray at the same time as we are sarcastic? Of course not!
The real problem for me, is not when there is an absence of sarcasm, encouraging words, or even prayer. It’s the silence. That’s what hits and hurts the most. I remember clearly being in Christian company in church when one of the ladies said to my late wife. “You do know we are praying for you?” Neither she nor I knew that they were praying. No one said. There was silence. My wife had cancer and didn’t survive the disease, so lost out from the knowledge that people in the church at that time were praying. Silence. There were two lessons for me in that short conversation. The first is to pray when you say you will pray. Don’t talk about it to your friends, but do it. That brings me to the second lesson, which is to tell them you are praying for them right in their time of need. They need to hear it. Trust me on this. The person you are praying for needs to know you care enough to pray. They need to know you care. We need to care, and be seen to care!
Tuesday, 20 November 2018
Sheer Silence
...and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 1Kings19:12NRSV
Do you ever crave silence? Perhaps a silence where you can think straight, and avoid the daily distractions? We know the story where Elijah the strong and powerful prophet of God came up against an evil woman called Jezebel who promised to make his life a misery, to the point of death. The great Elijah ran scared for his life. We smile at this sometimes, but which of us has never run from a test or temptation instead of facing it down? So let’s not be too hasty in judgement.
God used the elements of nature to get his attention. An earthquake, but no success. A fire, and still Elijah wasn’t able to hear God. But when it was ‘sheer silence’, and there were no other distractions, Elijah heard the voice of God, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”. Elijah was faced with the same question by God in v9 and v13, almost as though it didn’t get through the first time, or it needed to be emphasised. God certainly wanted his attention, and only then Elijah got the message.
God doesn’t always get through to us in the big things either. The Crusades, or the Campaigns (Revivals to our American cousins), or the Gospel Music Concerts, all with their noisy Biblical content (all good of course!). However, many times God needs us to be quiet before Him, without the distractions that noise can bring. Very recently, a close friend suffered a particularly bad couple of days in his health, but in that time there wasn’t much conversation or prayer going on between him and God. He was too busy trying to find a way to feel better as each passing hour seemed more painful than the last. When the ‘noise’ of the pain reduced and eased, that was when God spoke. But not only that, it was when my friend was in a place to listen.
Where and when would be the best place and time for God to speak clearly to you, and more importantly, for you to be able to listen?
Do you ever crave silence? Perhaps a silence where you can think straight, and avoid the daily distractions? We know the story where Elijah the strong and powerful prophet of God came up against an evil woman called Jezebel who promised to make his life a misery, to the point of death. The great Elijah ran scared for his life. We smile at this sometimes, but which of us has never run from a test or temptation instead of facing it down? So let’s not be too hasty in judgement.
God used the elements of nature to get his attention. An earthquake, but no success. A fire, and still Elijah wasn’t able to hear God. But when it was ‘sheer silence’, and there were no other distractions, Elijah heard the voice of God, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”. Elijah was faced with the same question by God in v9 and v13, almost as though it didn’t get through the first time, or it needed to be emphasised. God certainly wanted his attention, and only then Elijah got the message.
God doesn’t always get through to us in the big things either. The Crusades, or the Campaigns (Revivals to our American cousins), or the Gospel Music Concerts, all with their noisy Biblical content (all good of course!). However, many times God needs us to be quiet before Him, without the distractions that noise can bring. Very recently, a close friend suffered a particularly bad couple of days in his health, but in that time there wasn’t much conversation or prayer going on between him and God. He was too busy trying to find a way to feel better as each passing hour seemed more painful than the last. When the ‘noise’ of the pain reduced and eased, that was when God spoke. But not only that, it was when my friend was in a place to listen.
Where and when would be the best place and time for God to speak clearly to you, and more importantly, for you to be able to listen?
Thursday, 19 July 2018
Time to Keep Silent
To every thing there is a season...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak. Ecclesiastes 3:1,7
We all face the question in our own minds, whether to put up or shut up. Speak or be silent. Let rip or stay schtum. Our base instinct is to shout the odds at the thing that hurts and annoys us, or perhaps the person that has crossed the line we have drawn in the sand. We all wrestle with that one many times, and I think we fail wise Solomon’s measured advice.
There certainly is a time to speak out, and confront evil because Jesus tells us to beware of false teachers and prophets in the Gospels, but that is not to be used as a licence to shoot from the hip every time something or someone crosses our own personal line, opinion, or feeling.
This very dilemma troubled me recently. My initial reaction was to confront the source of my disagreement both in person and content. Fortunately, I allowed some time to pass while the issue percolated in my mind and I am glad it worked out that way. Not because I had changed my mind, far from it, because I still feel the same about the person and the problem it gives me, and most likely some other folks looking on.
In war we talk about collateral damage. Not the direct hits, or the intended targets, but the property and people who were on the edges of the line of fire. Bringing this issue up in a public arena would have affected a group of people who a) might have disagreed anyway, or b) had not seen the original problem, and now knowing it, might take their own action and walk away. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that outcome, and c) my own reputation and standing could be tainted and tarnished for all time.
The final, and most important consideration for staying silent is that it allows the person who caused my own worry and concern, to move on, and perhaps allow them to change. In His infinite wisdom, God has granted me grace when I have failed Him, so I must give grace to others. Of course, they may not believe they did any wrong, and a public outing makes any change (if it was seen as necessary) unlikely. On a personal and more human front, if the same thing happened again, I would come to another conclusion. Once bitten, twice shy as the old saying goes!
We all face the question in our own minds, whether to put up or shut up. Speak or be silent. Let rip or stay schtum. Our base instinct is to shout the odds at the thing that hurts and annoys us, or perhaps the person that has crossed the line we have drawn in the sand. We all wrestle with that one many times, and I think we fail wise Solomon’s measured advice.
There certainly is a time to speak out, and confront evil because Jesus tells us to beware of false teachers and prophets in the Gospels, but that is not to be used as a licence to shoot from the hip every time something or someone crosses our own personal line, opinion, or feeling.
This very dilemma troubled me recently. My initial reaction was to confront the source of my disagreement both in person and content. Fortunately, I allowed some time to pass while the issue percolated in my mind and I am glad it worked out that way. Not because I had changed my mind, far from it, because I still feel the same about the person and the problem it gives me, and most likely some other folks looking on.
In war we talk about collateral damage. Not the direct hits, or the intended targets, but the property and people who were on the edges of the line of fire. Bringing this issue up in a public arena would have affected a group of people who a) might have disagreed anyway, or b) had not seen the original problem, and now knowing it, might take their own action and walk away. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that outcome, and c) my own reputation and standing could be tainted and tarnished for all time.
The final, and most important consideration for staying silent is that it allows the person who caused my own worry and concern, to move on, and perhaps allow them to change. In His infinite wisdom, God has granted me grace when I have failed Him, so I must give grace to others. Of course, they may not believe they did any wrong, and a public outing makes any change (if it was seen as necessary) unlikely. On a personal and more human front, if the same thing happened again, I would come to another conclusion. Once bitten, twice shy as the old saying goes!
Monday, 9 July 2018
Speak Up or Shut Up?
Speak up, or shut up? It’s not always clear what we should do. Something is weighing on your mind, but saying it out loud could be risky, so the better choice might be to stay quiet. At least for the time being, or maybe always. In one sense the issue justifies and warrants being said, but you know there will be collateral damage as a result. No one likes personal damage, especially if it affects other innocent bystanders who are your friends.
Taking the Bible at face value doesn’t always hold the answer. After all we are told to: Speak the truth in love, confront the false teachers, and yet speak gently, we have a warning in Proverbs 17:28 “Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent” and in Ecclesiastes 3:7b “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak”. So what to do?
I think God gave us a heart and a head to use in balance for each individual situation because every case is different, just as every person is different. The wisdom of Solomon is needed, and we get encouraged in James 1:5 with the promise: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. The crux of the matter lies in this verse. Asking means praying, so we pray for guidance each and every time we need to know whether to speak up or shut up.
Other than getting closer to our loving Father, guess what happens when you are praying about the thing that’s weighing on your mind? Nothing! Yes nothing, because when you are in prayer you are not shouting, or shooting from the hip. You are not even trying to make excuses or give reasons for your dilemma. As the old phrase says, “silence is golden”, so now you have some much needed time to think carefully about the ripple effect of your words if you still decide to speak up. Up until this point, there has been no speaking harshly, or awkward deliberate silence. Only then I believe we will be in the right position to finally decide whether to speak up, or shut up!
Taking the Bible at face value doesn’t always hold the answer. After all we are told to: Speak the truth in love, confront the false teachers, and yet speak gently, we have a warning in Proverbs 17:28 “Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent” and in Ecclesiastes 3:7b “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak”. So what to do?
I think God gave us a heart and a head to use in balance for each individual situation because every case is different, just as every person is different. The wisdom of Solomon is needed, and we get encouraged in James 1:5 with the promise: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. The crux of the matter lies in this verse. Asking means praying, so we pray for guidance each and every time we need to know whether to speak up or shut up.
Other than getting closer to our loving Father, guess what happens when you are praying about the thing that’s weighing on your mind? Nothing! Yes nothing, because when you are in prayer you are not shouting, or shooting from the hip. You are not even trying to make excuses or give reasons for your dilemma. As the old phrase says, “silence is golden”, so now you have some much needed time to think carefully about the ripple effect of your words if you still decide to speak up. Up until this point, there has been no speaking harshly, or awkward deliberate silence. Only then I believe we will be in the right position to finally decide whether to speak up, or shut up!
Monday, 27 February 2017
The Test
Hezekiah succeeded in everything he undertook. But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart. 2 Chronicles 32:31
We always assume that God is by our side all day, every day, but is that always the case? Hezekiah was tested by God, but not by some great request or temptation he would have to overcome with God’s help, but by God leaving him. Why would God do that to His servant? Simply because He wanted to know what was in Hezekiah’s heart when the chips were down.
The parallel to you and me is easy to make. Have you ever felt alone, as if God has left you, and the old ‘Footprints’ poem doesn’t seem to fit or apply? I certainly have. These times can come during a personal crisis when the only person you can turn to as a Christian is God, and He is just not there. It may be a little like the analogy of the exams in school. The teacher is silent during the time of the test.
What do you do when you’re in deep trouble, and God is silent, and He has taken a step back? I think we have two choices. Either get even more discouraged and faith takes a severe hit OR faith comes through, and you become stronger because you have endured the test. Perhaps this is the biggest test of your Christian life. It will undoubtedly be a turning point and we can never be the same person again because God will know everything that is in our hearts, but so too will we. So, don’t fear the test, but embrace it!
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