The beginning of Revelation 8 states, “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” It doesn’t elaborate on the reason for the silence, but immediately following that, an angel presents prayers and incense to God. This event happens just prior to the onset of God’s trumpet judgments on the world.
I wonder if these judgements, soon to be released upon humanity, were so shocking that heaven was stunned to silence.
Maybe all heaven was simply waiting for God to utter the command for the first trumpet to sound.
Maybe God needed some time to grieve over what was about to happen to His creation. The world had rejected the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus, who gave His life a “ransom for many” (Mathew 20:28). The world had refused to accept Christ as its Saviour; sin was rampant, and evil was celebrating itself. As a result, God’s wrath was about to be poured out.
Regardless of the reason, there was complete silence in heaven. Even the throne room angels had ceased crying out, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).
Heaven held its breath, waiting on God the Father.
Perhaps, like the angels, I need to be silent and wait on God’s signal to act. I noticed in this passage of Scripture that after the silence in heaven came prayer and worship. Again, I can learn from this example of heavenly behavior. I must take time to listen for God’s response after I pray.
I often forget that His ways are higher than mine. As recorded in Isaiah 55:9, God states, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” When I act impulsively, it is definitely not in His power, and in my own strength, I never succeed to the level that I can when I am in God’s will.
My life’s verse is Isaiah 40:31. It states, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
I am still learning to wait.
Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
in every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
(from “Be Still, My Soul” by Katharina Schlegel)
“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”- Lamentations 3:25
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“Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts.” ―