Heaven is portrayed - or at least we like to portray it - as a place of sound, of praise and adoration (and it is). But interestingly, we as humans often seem to feel that God speaks to us in the silent places, in the quiet between the noise.
People far more learned than myself have commented that as a society, we have continued to raise noise to a level until it is virtually impossible to get away from it. Which, if you think about it, is true: most people turn on the radio when the get into the car or plug in their heads when they go for a walk or to work out or ride about on public transit. We live in a world which surrounds us with noise.
Noise is not Heaven to me. Noise is filler. Noise is an interruption. Noise is something to use when I specifically do not want to hear from God.
To me, Heaven is silence. Silence like I find at The Ranch, where literally one can hear is the wind through the trees. Silence like I remember one night at 13 in Colorado, tucked into a tent reading John Carter and looking up at the stars. Silence when I sit with the rabbits and listen to their almost imperceptible communication. Silence when I watch bees work quietly.
It is not that I praise God any the less because of the silence - indeed I hear Him more. Arguably I do need to hear Him more - but then again, so does the world around me as well.
Revelation is filled with great hosts singing aloud (and if you have been part of a great host singing aloud, you know the headiness it encompasses -imagine doing it for the King of The Universe!). But I wonder if as well, room will be made for those that find their praise and closeness to God as much in silence as they do in speech.
For surely if God made the words, He also made the space between the words.
I would imagine there will be places for all, yes. :)
ReplyDeleteBe safe and God bless.
I hope so Linda. I do very much find God more in silence than in sound.
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