Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength!
Let them come forward and speak – Isaiah 41:1
The Scripture encourages us to be silent. In the book of Psalms, there is a word, Selah, which appears frequently throughout various psalms. The true meaning of Selah in the Bible is a mystery. Biblical scholars have come up with multiple meanings and possible explanations for its meaning. Some scholars believe Selah was a musical notation possibly meaning silence or pause while others think it means end, a louder strain, or piano. Still others think it is a musical interlude, a pause in the voices singing, while instruments perform alone.
Selah is translated as “intermission” in the Septuagint which is the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Septuagint is significant because it was completed in the second century BCE and quoted by the Apostle Paul.
Silence can be a very powerful thing Michelangelo used to have long pauses between blows on his sculptor’s chisel. When a friend asked why, he replied, “I can make the decisive move only after being silent.”
George Elliot said, “It is ridiculous to suppose that silence is always brooding on a nest of eggs” Yet, silence in conversation with God is the most creative brooding. It is not, however, to hatch our own eggs, but to allow God to hatch His ideas in our thinking as further preparation in praying. Silence can bring us wisdom about how to pray for ourselves and others. Silence can help get us beyond self-centeredness and allow God to refine our thinking and praying.