Silence and Action

The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

 - From Psalm 29

Kelly Clarkston made waves this week, while hosting the Billboard Awards TV show. In the wake of the Santa Fe, Texas school shooting, she mocked those that "send thoughts and prayers." 

She said, instead of a "moment of silence," we should have a "moment of action."

Notwithstanding the reality that people of faith take action, all the time, constantly, she raises an interesting point. The people that don't understand moments of silence miss the point entirely. Silence is only effective when it brings together diverse elements into one thing they can do together. If you're silent, you're listening, and the problem today is that people are not listening.

If you don't understand silence, then makes all kinds of sense for you to think "action" is the way to go. People that don't get silence, are those that are easily bored. They are not comfortable with their own thoughts. They do not want to hear what others have to say.

 . . . Which, when you think about it, could be a major thing that's driving young men crazy enough to shoot up their classmates. 

But in the logic of mockers . . . "action" sounds like exactly the right thing to do. 

Okay then . . . let's not have silence. Consider the Voice of the Lord, as portrayed in Psalm 29. It is like thunder . . . and can break cedar trees in half. 

Maybe we don't need moments of silence, after all. Let's have the Voice of the Lord. God's words are the very essence of action. When He speaks, things happen. God's voice gives strength to His people, and we need strength. And it brings peace . . . and we need peace.

Pray that God speaks . . . and that it brings to a halt, these school shootings. 

Pray for victims, yes. Send them your thoughts and prayers, of course.

But pray for God to speak, and act . . . and to shut down this violent movement in our culture, that began at the same time this troubled, loud, self-absorbed generation came of age.