The Paradox of Silence (by Joy)

Silence is one of those things we either love or we hate.  After a noisy day at work, I long for silence and I resent any intrusion—a phone ringing, a door slamming, a cat banging his bowl demanding supper.  Other times, though, silence can be lonely and maybe a little scary, so I cover it up—I play music while I cook, I have the TV on in the background while I fold laundry. 

At the root of this love/hate relationship is our desire to control the silence.  I want to be able to silence the phone or turn on the radio in the car depending on what mood I am in.  I don’t want a snarky librarian shhh-ing me, or a performer from the stage urging me to “Get loud!” 

And yet, in my relationship with the Lord, I have no control.  If He speaks, when He speaks and what He says have nothing to do with me and my idea of perfect timing.  How many of us have prayed deep, fervent prayers only to be met with silence?  We’ve checked our motives, examined our hearts and sought godly counsel—we know we’re asking for good, God-honoring things from the Father’s hand and yet His answer is…stillness.  Silence.

In the Old Testament, God spoke to His people through the prophets.  If God wanted to get a message to the people, He would choose a prophet and send him with the words the people needed to hear.  There were times, though, when God withdrew His word from the people, and when there were no prophets.  If God didn’t have anything to say, He didn’t say anything and through this, God issued a kind of judgment.  It wasn’t as if God was giving His beloved people the silent treatment, but rather, He was letting them follow the dark path they’d already chosen.

In Amos 8, God predicts such a time,

¹¹"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord GOD,
   "when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
    but of hearing the words of the LORD.
¹² They shall wander from sea to sea,
   and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD,
    but they shall not find it.

For the people of Israel, the prophets’ words were as essential as bread and water.  So how awful must it have been when Malachi’s prophecy ended and 400 years of silence began?  Generations wandering in darkness, waiting for God to speak again, doing their very best to be righteous and obedient.  A tradition of watching, waiting and wondering passed down for centuries.

Until, finally, the Word in flesh comes to Earth.  No more prophets, no more silence, just the incarnate Word of God—the Word that spoke creation into existence—comes and makes His home with mankind.

¹⁴And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.—John 1:14

This is a cause for celebration, a reason to rejoice.  Not only did God break His silence with Israel, but He sent His Word to all who would receive Him.