Shhh

Shhh

Revelation 8: When the Lamb broke open the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

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When the door opened, the laughter and playing stopped. Moments before, everyone was up chattering and doing the opposite of what we were told. “Stay in your seats” the teacher said before leaving. When she got back, we hurried to our seats. There was silence.

 

• Our silence could have been followed by someone saying “Uh-oh!”
• Our silence was to see what would happen.
• Our silence was not going to be broken by us, but by the one in authority.

 

John, the disciple JESUS loved, saw the LAMB open the seventh and final seal. Every being in heaven stopped whatever they were doing to become silent for about thirty minutes. Then the seven angels were given seven trumpets. Something was about to happen.

 

My Observations:

• Silence in heaven showed a transition in tone.
• Silence meant something serious was about to happen.
• The seventh seal being opened meant the sentence was fully in affect.

Quieting down is sometimes hard to do. I mean, to escape the worries of the world, I use noisy things like movies, TV or music to drown out thoughts of problems and troubles. In fact, I was afraid of turning off music or talking when driving my car. BUT GOD enjoys when I can be silent with HIM.

Silence is important. There is a tone of serenity with silence, but in this case, it was to mark the start of the end of Satan’s full sentence. GOD’s people do not have to worry about this sentence, because JESUS has saved all who believe in HIM.

Challenge

• What do you think the writer was doing in that half an hour period?
• Have you ever been in a noisy crowd that suddenly got silent?
• Will you take some time to become silent before the LORD so you can hear what HE has in store for you today?

Slip Away

Matthew 14: ²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

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Rock music blasted on one side, rap on the other. I could not concentrate with all of the noise so I slipped away to a quiet location to study. With no distractions, I could comprehend more.

• Sometimes I needed to get away from the distractions.
• Sometimes I needed to get away from the noise.
• Sometimes I needed to get away from everyone around me so I could concentrate.

Concentration sometimes requires solitude in a peaceful setting. JESUS chose a mountainside. My guess is that HE could see the people HE created and pray for them. HE needed total concentration so HE slipped away from the crowds often to pray.

• GOD wants me to slip away from people in order to have concentrated prayer.
• GOD wants me to sometimes have quick prayer and other times deep concentrated prayer.
• GOD wants me to dismiss the crowd, go to a place and pray for those around me.

There is no definition for “real” prayer. I mean sometimes I can only say a few words “Help me LORD” and other times I can feel praise while other times I can feel deep empathy. GOD wants me to take time to communicate with HIM on a regular basis. Slipping away to talk to HIM about anything definitely clears my heart.

• Are you flooded with thoughts?
• Is it very noisy around you?
• Can you slip away to a quiet place so you can concentrate on the LORD?

Peace in the Desert

Isaiah 32: ¹⁶ The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert,
    his righteousness live in the fertile field.
¹⁷ The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
    its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
¹⁸ My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
    in secure homes,
    in undisturbed places of rest.
¹⁹ Though hail flattens the forest
    and the city is leveled completely,
²⁰ how blessed you will be,
    sowing your seed by every stream,
    and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.

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Silence was the strangest sound I heard after being released from the high paced position that was eliminated in the reorganization. With no conference calls or fires to put out or people complaining about sagging profits, I felt strange. There was actually enough quiet to listen.

• There were times when my pace was so noisy that I could not hear.
• There were times when I did not have time to stop and listen.
• There were times when I had not time to listen to GOD.

“The Desert” is a symbolic place for me. I mean the Israelites were glad to leave Egypt because they were under someone’s forceful hand. But then they found themselves in “The Desert” and that felt even worse to them. No heavy hand, but no crumbs from the “master’s” plate. When I sat down for the first time with no appointments, at first it felt great, but weeks later I wondered, “Where is GOD?”

• GOD said to me “MY justice is in the desert which is right where I want you now.”
• GOD said to me “MY righteousness lives in the fertile field and I want you to seek out this field.”
• GOD said to me “MY reward to you will be peace and you will have quietness and confidence forever.”

It took some time to get used to the quietness. I learned to use it as lost time I had not spent with GOD, family and friends. I found the fruit GOD wanted me to seek in the first place and HE blessed me the entire time. GOD truly is great!

• Are you in “The Desert?”
• Do you feel lost?
• Can you quiet down and listen to GOD?
• Will you seek HIS guidance instead of yours?

Where can I find a quiet place?

Numbers 7: ⁸⁹ Moses entered the Tent of Meeting. He wanted to speak with the Lord. There Moses heard the Lord talking to him. The Lord’s voice was speaking to him from between the two cherubim. The cherubim were over the place where sin is paid for. It was the cover on the ark where the tablets of the covenant were kept. The Lord spoke with Moses there.

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Seven o’clock in the morning was my flight so I had to make sure I had the rental car returned in enough time which meant I had to check out of the hotel early enough to leave in time! On the way to the airport, I mulled the day over in my mind. I thought about the agenda, who I was speaking to and what emphasis I was going to make.

Crowd of people crammed into the shuttle, then on the plane. From that point on it seemed like I was around someone all day! At least 1275 questions were asked of me that day. I went to bed exhausted.

• Some days I get too busy to stop and listen to GOD.
• Some days I don’t have time to talk to the LORD.
• Some days I have too much to do and my time with GOD just gets away from me.

When I prioritize GOD as the lowest on my list then everything else gets put in front of HIM.  I mean I have to work right? Yes, but GOD wants me to speak to HIM first and listen to what HE has to say. It’s not enough to throw an obligatory prayer at HIM to appease my “talk” quota with HIM.

• GOD wants me to find a quiet place to speak to HIM.
• GOD wants me to settle down so I can hear what HE has to say to me.
• GOD wants me to actually seek HIM every day to figure out what HE wants me to do.

Moses couldn’t wait to hear from the LORD. I have finally reached a point in my life where I need to speak to HIM to reduce the confusion and anxieties the day has to offer.

• Do you have a quiet place where you can actually speak to the LORD?
• Can you hear what HE is saying to you or do you feel HE is speaking to everyone else but you?
• Won’t you stop trying to steer GOD and let HIM work HIS plan out for you?
• Can you take time today to praise HIM for the good and bad because it’s HIS plan?