“Be silent in the
LORD’s presence and wait patiently for Him." ~ Psalm
37:7
For no particular reason, an
otherwise regular member stopped attending church. Call it laziness, boredom or maybe Harold just
felt his needs were no longer being met there. So, after a few weeks, Pastor Dave decided to
visit him.
The pastor found Harold at home alone, sitting before a
blazing fire on that damp, chilly evening.
Knowing the reason for his preacher’s visit, he greeted him, led him to
a comfy chair near the fireplace and waited.
Dave made himself at home but said nothing. The silence somehow spoke for itself; peaceful
like an angel's lullaby, smoothing out the roughness of the day.
Glowing embers leaped and twirled in a fiery dance, transforming the wood into hot ribbons of light. Wood smoke drifted through the home like incense. Two silent figures illuminated only by the flickering light, pondered the serenity of quivering flames.
After some time, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully
picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all by
itself.
Still mute, he returned to his
chair. Harold watched all this in quiet reflection. The silence had become more comfortable now; like
two old friends enjoying the warmth of companionship.
The lonely ember’s flame
flickered … then diminished; its fiery
glow was no more. All that endured was a
charcoaled remnant of wood.
Still, not a single word had been spoken since the initial
greeting. Pastor Dave glanced at his
watch and realized it was time to leave.
He stood slowly, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in
the middle of the raging fire.
Almost immediately it began to glow again from the heat and
brilliance of the burning coals around it.
The Pastor stood, contemplating
God’s soft whisper lifting from the fragrance of applewood logs. When he reached the door to leave, Harold
said with a thoughtful grin, “Thank you for your visit … and especially for the
blazing sermon. I’ll see you Sunday … my
usual pew!”
For most people, remaining quiet
for even a short time is challenging. It’s
tempting to fill the space in our minds with noise or distracting movements
rather than sit quietly and listen for what the silence may hold for us.
Too often our prayers are
projections of our own needs and we give God little room to enter the
conversation. Talking to God without
ever listening is pointless. Silence is
the language of God; creative, transformative, regenerative. We must remain silent to capture every word He
speaks; so its Light will always guide us.
God is a mystery of silence and
intimacy, far beyond our wildest imaginations, yet nearer to each of us than we
are to ourselves.
Lord, Your Word says that when we draw near
to You, You will draw near to us. I seek
Your face, Your truth and Your instruction for my life. I want follow you more nearly, hear You more
clearly and love You more dearly. Amen
