A booming silence

by Ben

I read Psalm 12-18.

There really is power in the words of Scripture. I've heard that for years, but I never really knew what it meant. I don't think it is something that can be conveyed in a written description. Try this, read the following aloud (as you read, say the words with purpose, as though they were your own:

God made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
he gave me a fresh start.
Now I'm alert to God's ways;
I don't take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
and I'm watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opend the book of my heart to his eyes.

That was Psalm 18:20-24 from the Message. It is a true praise. And when it comes from your lips, it carries a different feeling then just being read silently. I find that my eyes glaze over the Psalms if I just read them silently. They come alive when I read them aloud. This isn't to negate an in-your-head faith. I firmly believe that God can be very present when we are silent. However, I would also suggest that we can be with God in prayer out loud.

I find it interesting that while many people are scared of silence and what we have to face with God in quiet times, some are very afraid of what it means to connect with God out loud. Be it a fear of what others will think or their criticisms of what we say or how we say it, or even just a nervousness about hearing our own voice against the emptiness of a room, some truly do not feel comfortable reaching out to God in this way.

I don't know what to say about that. I think God connects with us in all ways, so I can't make any distinction of rights or wrongs. As long as you are pursuing God, you are on the right path.