In musical notation, a caesura is a break in the music. In conversation, a caesura is a pause or an interruption that gives way for silence. If you want to hear and feel the power of a small dose of silence, listen to Phil Collins timeless hit, In the Air Tonight. Right before the infamous drum solo there is a pause that sets up the sound you will never forget. Science has shown that such intervals are what generate intense neural activity. The contrast of brief silence stirs our senses. It is in the silence where ALL of our senses are engaged and we become alive.
Silence is one of the most valuable assets we possess and everyone is after it. Proof lies in the technology we use for convenience and the data that is so invaluably associated with it. What we browse, how we communicate, when and where we are located. The data that reveals how we spend our time and what occupies our minds is all for the purpose of being able to fill the silence with a desired message. There is a battle for your silence but no one talks about it.
Why is silence so valuable? In the Bible, God is in the silence. God told Elijah to go out and stand on a mountain and be in His presence. “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:11-12. Elijah heard the voice of God in the quiet, in the caesura, in the silence.
Many believe silence is a luxury. I believe silence is a gift from God designed to bridge the gap between heaven and earth. Silence prepares us and is the environment where we become fully engaged. “Engaged for what?” you may ask. That’s the great thing about silence. It’s unique and different for everyone because it is the space that allows us to hear from our Creator. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. If silence allows us to hear those plans, we all need more of it.
If you are intrigued and attracted to silence, let me add a note of caution. Everything in and of this world will fight for your silence and against the truth that lies therein. There is no fake news in the solitude that comes with silence. There is noise that battles against the silence but not in the silence. God is in the silence. He reminds us in blunt terms. “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'” Psalm 46:10. In the book of Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible, the Holy Spirit is referred to as a wind and a breath. Sound is air in motion. The voice of God is sound itself, everything else is just noise.
In the book of Revelation there is a scroll that reveals what will occur before and during Christ’s second coming. This scroll has seven seals and the 7th seal represents both the wrath of the Lamb and the mercy of God. When the 7th and last seal is opened, guess what follows. “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” Revelation 8:1. Silence gets our attention, prepares and allows us to hear the voice of God.
Songs have been written about silence. Some say silence is golden. YOUR silence is measured, fought for, coveted, packaged for sale and is more valuable than gold. Everything points to the value of silence and that is why the war exists to take it away from you.
Make the effort to hear what’s in your silence. Listen to the sound of your silence.