"When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for almost half an hour."
(Revelation 8:1)
The first six were quite colorful: seal #1 - white horse & rider with a bow; seal #2 - red horse & rider with a sword; seal #3 - black horse & rider with measuring scales; seal #4 - pale green horse & Death; seal #5 - martyrs; seal #6 - earthquake, darkness & blood-red moon! Now the seventh (and final) seal is about to be opened. When the Lamb (JESUS!) opened it, there was silence in heaven, says the author. Silence.
Why silence? Was it just for "dramatic effect"? Maybe. But perhaps it was more about "holy anticipation." What in God's Name was about to happen, people wondered?!?! And in that silence, there was a devotion... a reverence... a divine expectation.
I also thought, "Wow, even in heaven they have 'quiet time' in God's presence!" Yet this just isn't your run-of-the-mill regular 30-minutes-of-quiet-time quiet time that so many of us are used to. You know... sitting still... "being reflective"... not talking... etc. No. This is 30 minutes of active awe! 30 minutes of anticipation! 30 minutes of wondering, "What, in God's Name, is about to happen?" What if I practiced that same kind of quiet time? What if I spent time in silence (whether it was 30 minutes or some other amount) actively anticipating God's actions in my life? I bet it would be a lot different from how I'm quiet before Him now!
PRAYER: Give me an eager anticipation, Lord, as I sit in silence before You're awesome presence! AMEN.
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