Many years ago in an American town the inhabitants slept soundly every night as steam hammers pounded away in a local iron works. But then an amazing thing happened. Due to an industrial dispute the hammers suddenly stopped and all the people woke up!

“Listen to the silence,” said a Welsh climber to his colleague high up between the mountains. Back came the reply, “Doesn’t it speak loud!” After a funeral when all the mourners have gone, and the widow eventually returns to her lonely room the familiar voice of her loved one seems to speak tantalisingly from the silence of his empty chair. Silence can be cruel but it can be golden! Written in the visitor’s books in thousands of parish churches are comments like this, “What a beautiful silence!” When Elijah the prophet was depressed and even wished he was dead God spoke in a “still small voice”. This voice in the silence put him on his feet and gave him a new purpose in life.

In the beautiful twenty third Psalm, King David, who was once a shepherd boy, wrote these words, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters.” Still waters are quiet waters and when sheep lie down it shows they are satisfied. Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd.” [ John 10:11 ]. He alone can give us true stillness of soul and lasting satisfaction.

Before we can know this calmness of heart and mind we must note these warning words of the prophet Jeremiah. “The Lord our God has put us to silence – because we have sinned against the Lord.” [ Jeremiah 8:14 ]. To find ourselves condemned and silenced in the day of judgement because we have never turned from evil and trusted Christ as Saviour would be a most dreadful silence!