"I'll be over tomorrow. Too weary for words. Love u."
That was the complete content of an email waiting for me one morning. No more words. It echoes Job's reply to God. Job's words were ended and he had nothing more to say.
Coming to the end of our words. I wonder how often God is waiting for us to do just that. Our words are many when they should be few. God is patiently waiting for our narrative to read, "I have nothing more to say."
While preparing for a Bible study lesson I came across this quote, "The primary reason we are sometimes at a loss for words is that we should be at a loss for words. We're in over our heads and silence is our best option." Terrified of silences, we often fill them foolishly. To avoid discomfort, we jump in quickly, filling the gap between talk and thought, and like Job we can be giving responses about things we don't understand. We need to become content in both noiselessness and not knowing. Instead of abhorring solitude, we need to appreciate it.
We are far too ready to respond. Do we think a delay in our reply indicates lack of intelligence? Trust me, an untimely word reveals ignorance far too often. Proverbs 17:28 tells us, "Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent." Silence can be a sign of great wisdom!
Ecclesiastes 5:2 encourages, "God is in heaven and you are on earth; so let your words be few." How often do we live by that advice? We also read in James 1:19 to be slow to speak and quick to listen. Christ, as our example in Matthew 15:23, "did not answer a word." Silences often speak louder than words. Why do we fear the absence of sound? Quiet can be both threatening and deafening.
When I first met the man who would one day become my husband, I had to learn to wait in stillness for him to speak. He takes his time responding in any conversation. He needs time to process his thoughts and share his answer. His "slow to speak" is also teaching me to be "slow to become angry"!
In order to listen, we have to end our words. Lori Salierno, author, speaker and Biblical Life Coach tells a story about the first time she met Mother Teresa. If you've ever met Lori, you know she loves to talk. In her excitement of meeting this dear woman, Lori was speaking quickly and saying much. Sweet little Mother Teresa stopped her abruptly with this rebuke, "Lori, Lori, too many words come out of your mouth."
It is hard to hold our tongues at times. Without God's help it is untamable (James 3:8). Solomon advises again in Ecclesiastes 3:7 that there is "a time to be silent and a time to speak." What season are you in right now? Are you speaking when you should be silent or vice versa?
God is so patient with us. He will not interrupt us. Chapter after chapter Job and his friends spoke on and on about things they knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for them to explain. When all our "me", "my", "I", and "myself" cease, we will hear God's heart on the matter. "Be still and know that He is God." (Psalm 46:10)
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