Silence: Its Power and NecessitySample

Silence: Its Power and Necessity

John 8:6-9 - This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.

Jesus used silence to bring people to reflection. When the spiritual leaders tried to stone the adulterous woman in John 8, He wrote with His finger on the ground and did not speak a word. In that silence, God revealed Himself in the conscience of these leaders.

Western society is driven by at least five concepts (emotions). There are more, but for now these five are sufficient:

·Anger, frustration and criticism

·Greed, envy and jealousy

·Money and power

·Ill-considered, senseless and unwise words.

·Lust

These emotions lead to senselessness, frustration, dissatisfaction, rebellion, feelings of rejection, aimlessness, powerlessness, and the sense that I am unlovable. They also make me feel unacceptable and embittered. I feel unsafe and angry, and I don't know what to do with my failures and sins. This happens to Christians and non-Christians.

All these words are the consequences of the above five emotions and desires.

Silence confronts these feelings. In silence, these emotions come to the surface. Recognising these emotions is the beginning of liberation. In the silence, the Holy Spirit helps us to ask the right questions and to seek answers in the right places.

In silence, we can ask the questions that our pride and arrogance would have prevented us from admitting. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, our words reveal these emotions. Our words are often godless - like water taken from unclean springs. They are confusing, lacking in wisdom and meaning and ultimately empty.