Silence in Heaven

 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ~ Revelation 8:1

Every so often,  quite rarely in fact,  our church service will go quiet after a song.  There seems a heightened sense of the presence of God,  and we just stay for a moment or two in hushed reverence and silent worship.

These times are very precious,  especially in amidst all our evangelical, charismatic, noise.

And I am someone who likes noise.

I fill just about every silence with talking,  (whether people are present or not),  praying,  singing and music.

I write this for you now,  sat in a café,  with music in the background,  and my earphones in to play preferable music so that I may concentrate,  and when there are lulls in my superior tunes,  the cafe's piped pop breaks through the gaps.

I am no fan of silence.

But at times,  a holy and comfortable silence in worship is utterly mind blowing.

Like when you are really comfortable in someone's presence and feel no need for words.

As Gabriel Oak says in Far from the Madding crowd, to his love,  Bathsheba Everdene, describing a future scene of cosy comfortability, reading by the fireside in silence;

"When I look up,  there will you be.  And when you look up there will I be. "

And this quiet stillness in the company of another is really a sign of deep intimacy.

Unless of course,  you've just had a row and aren't speaking to each other!

But silence speaks volumes.

Think of Remberence Sunday.  The two minute silence. 

In our little market town,  which is nearby a military base,  the square is packed out.
And the sight and sound of hundreds of people gathered,  simply holding their tongues and breathing in and out,  is a very powerful one.

And here in heaven,  John has recorded,  that there is a silence in heaven.

Just remember how many beings are gathered round the throne.

4 creatures,
24 Elders,
A hundred million Angels
144 000 from the tribes of Israel,
A multitude too vast to count.

And here they are,  at the opening of the last of the seven seals,

Silent.

Wow.

And not for two minutes.

In a prophecy that time-hops throughout all history,  as we are in and out of the present moment with John,  a decision is made to record the exact time for which all heaven (where the praises of God never cease) is silent.

It is for half an hour.

I bet that felt like eternity.

Back to my noise.

When the Icelandic volcano erupted a huge ash cloud a few years back,  and all the planes were grounded for days,  I remember walking out in the countryside and being astounded at how clear the skies were,  and how comparatively silent it was.

Their noise is continuous drone in the background,  and I was previously unaware of how much I had filtered it out.
But with them gone,  I had a better idea of what silence was like.

And about four years ago I found myself in the little wooden office of a minister of the Northumbrian Community,  for the first of many sessions with he who was to become my 'spiritual director'.

Not all spiritual directors operate in the same way,  but mine is from a reflective tradition.

He explained the parameters that are now intrinsically understood in our sessions.

This is a safe place.

You can say anything.

It will remain with those present in this conversation.

There are three people in this conversation.

Myself.
You.
The Holy Spirit.

And it struck me that the the Holy Spirit was there.

Like he was stood in the room the whole time and I just saw him for the first time.

He is always 'there'.

He is often seen as silent.

On the face of it,  from the conversation that followed,  you would think that we were doing all the talking.
I certainly felt as though I was.

But he is speaking in the silence,  all then time.

But back to the start.

After explaining the parameters, we sit for a moment,  and my Spiritual director just smiles at me. 

Then there is a big sigh,  and he asks me the question.

How are you with God?

And the silence followed was one of the most powerful things I have ever experienced.

All that noise?
That is to drown out this question.

I have been sacred of the silence,
Because I have been scared of that question.

I had drowned out that question with so much activity and noise.

Okay,  I wasn't scared of the question.
I was scared of the answer.

In the silence that followed I became aware of God's presence as though he were sat in a third chair in that poky little room.

I also became aware of his love and acceptance superseding my fear.
And I became aware that in the silence he searches me.

It was the beginning of a new start and a wonderful journey.

Do you need time to be silent.
Really silent.
Before the majesty.
Sit with who you are,
And with who he is.

It really is transformative.

Come to the silence.

Make space for God and for reverence and for intimacy,

Today
And all days,

Be blessed.

Amen.