I know as you read the title you are thinking of the Simon and Garfunkel song from the ‘70’s but it is not. No, it is from what happened last Tuesday night. I came home from revival services. The evangelist had been preaching on what happens when you die and made some references to the book of Revelation. I was pondering these on my way home. And it was then the most magical thing happened. The cold front came in last Sunday and the temperatures did drop. It got cold, real cold.
As I pulled into the driveway of the parsonage (still pondering on the message from the sermon) I got out of the pickup and the wave of cold air hit me in the face, real hard. It was cold enough that when I got out of the warm truck, the cold took my breath away. I stood beside the cab of the truck and caught my breath. It was then that I noticed the most peculiar thing. It was quiet.
I do not mean just a stillness but a quiet that had the absence of noise. There was no traffic (cars or semis), no dogs barking, no stereos blaring, kids playing or…well…anything. It was silent. I could almost hear myself breathe. And on top of the silence, the stillness, was a heaviness. The air seemed to be just pressing down. It was pressing all the noise from the air. For the moment, it was beautiful. It was one of those “heavies” that if a sound were to be made it would allow sound to travel forever. If I were to speak it would resound, echo for miles.
It was freezing cold but I could not pull myself away and into the house. I felt like I just needed to revel in the magic of the moment and…worship.
As I was there in the spirit and worshipping, I wondered…Is this what it will be in Heaven? I remembered that in Revelation 6, the 7 seals were opened and the seal judgements came upon the earth. In Revelation 7 the 144,000 of Israel are sealed and in Revelation 8, the 7th seal is opened and there is silence in Heaven for half an hour. I always wondered why the silence for half an hour, what was that silence like and what happened during that half an hour?
We see the jubilant worship in chapters 4 & 5. Worship resounding from one end of Heaven to another. The falling down to the knees. All the saints and the angels calling out “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come.” Then as the seal judgements unfold and the 7th seal is opened…Silence!
I was just caught up in the moment and the silence. Not an eerie, spooky Halloween silence. Not an uneasy, nervous or anxious silence. A calm, soothing and wonderful silence. One of those places you never want to leave. One of those times you never want to end!
Even as I moved to the house, there was still no noise of traffic, animals or children to intrude upon the quietness of the moment. And as I entered into the house to a giddy dog, a TV playing and my wife wondering where I had been and questioning me about various things, the silence was broken in my presence but not my spirit as I was still lingering in quietness of a moment with the Maker, God Almighty Himself.
As you prepare for the noisiness of the coming holidays, take a moment and search for the silence and thank God.
Bro. Tim
