SOMETIMES SILENCE IS BEST

The trouble with us preachers, or at least one of them, is that when we are asked a theological or religious question or placed in a situation that all but calls out for us to respond with a definitive answer, we invariably open our mouths. Even worse, all too often we end up putting our foot firmly inside. It is an occupational hazard that is dangerous to all those involved. The same may be true in other vocations. I only speak of the one with which I am most familiar.

Remember the story of Job in the Bible? Job lost everything: his children, his possessions, and almost lost his wife who became impatient with his seemingly endless patience over all that had happened to him. On top of all that, he found himself covered from head to toe with boils that made his life even more wretched and miserable. Even though his wife remained faithful, she blamed Job for what had happened to him – and to her. He must have done something wrong, something so sinful, that God punished him in this way. He had to have. And she said so.

In the midst of Job’s agony along came three of his closest friends. They sat in silence with Job for seven days. That seemed to be a comfort for him. After all, what could they say anyway? They could do nothing to alleviate his pain and agony. They could not bring back or restore all that had been taken from him. There really was nothing for them to say or do. And that is what they did: nothing, just sat in silence.

But there must have been some kind of preacher in each of them. They ended their silence and began to lecture Job about his condition. Each in his own way told Job in no uncertain terms that he must have done something so terrible and sinful that God had no recourse but to punish Job in the way God did. Very simply it was all Job’s fault and that of no one else, period. It would now be best for Job, each said, for Job to confess to his sinfulness, ask God for forgiveness, and then just maybe, maybe God would heal his boils and restore him to physical health. Maybe.

They should have just shut up, just kept their mouths closed and sat there in silence with Job. Once they tried to play God, it all went south on them. They no more knew why Job did nothing to deserve what happened. It was not that he was sinless. It was simply that he had not been so sinful that such a tragedy was the deserved punishment. Thus, all these friends did was make matters worse and cause Job’s pain and suffering to increase. Their silence would have been golden.

Sometimes saying nothing says it all. There are times when all words fail and any words we do utter only make the situation much more difficult for the person who is suffering. That is true not only when we find ourselves being with such a person but also, on the other extreme, when we find ourselves experiencing deep love and awe or being overwhelmed with the wonder of creation. Words fail, then, too, and we shouldn’t muck it up with words that come up short. Silence, sometimes, is not only the correct response. It is the only response.