Silence – From Golden To Deadly
Psalm 39:2 “But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.”(NIV)
In preschool we were taught, “silence is golden.” As the parent of a 4-year old and a 2-year old, I can tell you that there are times when silence is priceless. But as a warrior for the Kingdom of God, I can tell you that in the midst of our biggest problems, silence can be deadly.
Sometimes when we are in the midst of adversity, we choose to get “tight lipped.” We proclaim that we aren’t going to say anything to anyone and we aren’t going to do those “silly faith confessions.” But I’m here to tell you today that if the devil can shut you up, then he can easily shut you off from the promises of God.
In the midst of our adversity, in the midst of our trial, in the midst of the hell we are going through, we need to put our mouths in overdrive and speak the promises of God over our lives. We need to remind the devil that we will reap in joy, and temporal things won’t keep us from God’s best. We need to remind the devil that the gates of his home will not prevail against us because hell is defeated and the final outcome is up to God Almighty Himself. You see, during our trials, we forget that the mouth is a loaded weapon against the principalities of hell. This is when the devil attempts to get us to do one of two things: (1) speak defeat or (2) not speak at all.
It is absurd for us to call death, disease, sickness, lack, loneliness, and poverty into our lives. But it’s just as absurd for us not to say anything concerning our situations. Our text tells us this: “But when I was silent and still, not even saying ANYTHING GOOD, my anguish increased.” In other words, saying nothing only brings about more misery. We can’t put our mouths in park and then drive out of the situation at the same time. This reality is why our text states so clearly, “But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.”
Please note that our text does not say, “my situation worsened.” I have heard many people say that the acronym for fear is “False Evidence Appearing Real.” What the enemy is out to do is make a situation that is not that bad appear worse than it really is. In other words, he tries to make our perception of the situation worsen even though the situation itself has not.
So don’t let the devil con you into being a silent bystander. By speaking the promises of God aloud, you confirm your faith in God’s word. You reaffirm to yourself and the devil that God will show up and do for you the things He said that He would do. Romans 10:17 says this: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”— even if that means you confessing to yourself over and over and over, and especially during those times when you don’t feel like speaking God’s promises over your life. Every day, profess that God is going to bring you out with a great triumph because your tongue is as the pen of a ready writer; poised to confirm, call, and claim that which God has for you. My friends, silence might have been “golden”in preschool, but in the midst of our problems, pains, and persecutions, silence is deadly.