Wisdom in Silence

“Oh, that you would be completely silent, and that silence would be your wisdom!” Job 13:5 (AMP)

Last week, my kids and I studied Proverbs 15:1, which (paraphrasing) tells us that a soft answer turns away anger but a harsh one stirs it up. Each week, we pick one scripture to meditate on and discuss why God wants us to live it out. Then, all week their challenge is to apply the scripture daily in conversation with each other, friends, and classmates. Well, the first couple of days, we were doing well with it, recognizing harsh answers and exchanging them for gentle ones.

Then it happened! Thursday morning, before school, my daughter and my middle son were going at it. One harsh response after another, all the way to the car. When they got in, I reminded them of our scripture. My son replied that his sister had said something about him, and he needed to say something back. He felt that her snarky opinion of him warranted a mean comeback. I turned to him and said, “Not everything needs a response. Sometimes no answer is the best answer!”

In the verse above, Job is giving his friends some much needed wisdom. See, they seem to assume and know a lot about his current, disastrous situation. And, they have a lot to say about Job and God. So, Job tells them to be silent and that it would be wise to do so. Whenever people want to give their opinions and judgement on our situation, we too should follow Job’s advice. I know we think that offering “a piece of our mind” is the optimal choice. But, I’ve found that there is wisdom in silence because it saves us a lot of anger, frustration, and heartache. My friend, oftentimes, no response is the best response!

Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for Your infinite wisdom. Lord, Your Word says that Your thoughts are not my thoughts and Your ways are not mine. Help me to see and do things Your way, to seek You in my responses and to know when I don’t need to respond. Holy Spirit, thank You for wisdom to use the words You want me to, and to hold my peace when You tell me to. Thank You, Lord, for Your peace that transcends understanding and rules in my heart in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Weekly Wisdom Challenge: Wise women know that silence is truly golden and not everything warrants a response or reaction. This week, measure your responses to others when they say or do something that might offend or hurt you. The enemy wants your mouth, your negative words, and your restless heart. But, I challenge you to rise above those situations and offer no response. Instead, hold your peace and rely on the Holy Spirit to handle it. Let me know how it goes!