Silence: Its Power and Necessity預覽

Silence: Its Power and Necessity

Stop fighting. Stop enjoying and engaging in the process of criticising, belittling, breaking down, gossiping about and insulting others. Stop being wise in your own eyes. Do not attack or defend. Leave your bravado.

Come to your Creator. Sit before Him. Ask Your Questions. Your questions won't intimidate him. If you believe, as many believe today, that we arose from nothing, then nothing is your "creator." “Nothing” doesn't have the answers. When you die, you will go back to your creator: Nothing.

Being with God in isolation and silence and being in the Word, is like a fiery furnace. It burns away all wood, straw and stubble. After that, we begin to see that which is eternal and indestructible. What the world can give cannot compare to the purpose for which Jesus came — to lead sinners to repentance. These suggestions from the devil were in direct conflict with the will and glorification of his Father. It carried no weight in the scales of eternity.

In the silence and isolation of the wilderness, the devil came to Jesus and requested that he make bread for Himself from the stones (be relevant), and jump from the temple (be sensational) – that is, to be memorable, unique, breathtaking, amazing. The devil promised to give Him kingdoms (wealth and power) but in the quiet of the wilderness, Jesus could see the worthlessness and finiteness—the measureless senselessness of these invitations and temptations (Matthew 4:1-11).

In the wilderness, in the crucible of God's will, Jesus could see eternity, and the purpose of his coming to earth did not fade.

In the silence, I can see the temporality of everything on earth. There, I can see what weighs the heaviest. There, it is easy to see the worthlessness of statues, money, position, my unique contribution to the world's science and literature, my influence, personal beauty, and powerful preaching or oratory skills.

In the silence, I begin to see the things that the world can give in perspective - I see them for how minuscule and insignificant they are. There, I discover the darkness of my own desires, lust, greed, and pride. And then, when I can see Jesus in the silence, the temporal and eternal come into perspective, and the choices I have to make become much easier.