The Power of Silence

I was doing a devotion today out of " Hung by the Tongue" by Francis P. Martin, a study of the power of our words. (Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."). We all have been at the receiving end of "sticks and stones" and know that words certainly DO hurt. We also know the good a word of encouragement makes us feel, even if it's a stranger telling us they like our outfit.

Jesus is the greatest example of using the power of words-battling satan with scripture, commanding the wind and waves be still, casting out demons and healing the sick.

But, as Francis Martin brought up in my reading today, Jesus used silence to move along the most important piece of human history at His trial before He was crucified.

Acts 8:32 "He was lead like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the sharers, He did not open His mouth."

This really got me:

"At the trial, Jesus could not speak even His name because it would have freed Him. He HAD to remain silent. Pilate tried to get Him to talk so that he could release Him, but Jesus would not speak. He came to give Himself as a lamb." p. 59

The God part of Jesus could have called down a legion of angels at any point, but he held his tongue. He knew the master plan and had perspective even through massive amounts of human humiliation, torture, and then the worst kind of death, death on a cross.

And He held his words back just for me, that I could be made right, have the power of grace in my life, and have relationship with Him.

Silence is powerful.






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