The Journey quote today says: "Silence is more musical than any song." Christina Rosetti
Richard Foster has a rich section on solitude in Celebration of Discipline. He says: "One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent who will take control? God will take control, but we will never let him take control until we trust him. Silence is intimately related to trust."
This is a particularly apt reminder to me right now as I am dealing with people who are struggling with grief and loss and probably need my silent presence more than any words I could ever say. And Foster is right. Words, at least for me, have been my medium. I have used them to control, defend, entertain, impress, bedazzle, cajole, and just about anything else I can think of. They have been my buckler and my shield....to willingly give them up and give them over to silence does indeed take radical trust that God will save me....or already has.
1 comment:
Oh my sister...I need to hear those words (yes, words!) too.
I'll never forget how, after my first (unsuccessful) Selection Conference for ministry, I came home to the experience of having no words to pray, no words in my head at all.
It frightened me so much at the time, but later I realised that God had cleared a way so that He could really fill that space and confirm the calling that was about to be challenged...
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