Ecclesiastes 3:1,7
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.
As a child of God, we must grow to not only know the Acts of God, but to be conversant with His ways as well. God has an appointed time for everything. Watching my daughter grow up, I learnt that God is a perfect planner, who puts in place everything we need ahead of time. He fashioned my daughter to grow at a pace, and in stages. There was a time to crawl, and a time to walk. A time to suck, and a time to chew .When the time to chew had not arrived, there were no teeth in her mouth.
There is a time to talk, and a time to keep quiet. Jesus always spoke his mind in ministry. He challenged the religious leaders of His time, and exposed their hypocrisy, and at the same time taught expository truths. However, when He was led to the cross like a lamb to the slaughter, He was silent. He knew it was God's will for Him to suffer for the sins of men, so He silently endured His suffering.
1 Peter 2:22-23
‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
Saul was prophesied to by Samuel that God had chosen him to be King, then afterwards he was anointed King. Saul knew he had the backing of God, so was silent when some rebels challenged his ability to save them - But some scoundrels said, ‘How can this fellow save us?’ They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent. 1 Samuel 10:27
We do not always have to prove who we are in the Lord. Some like to flaunt who they are among their own Christian brothers and sisters. Instructing them to call them by titles and actually being angered when they are not addressed by certain titles. I remember as a young Christian, God once told me - "Do not prove yourself, and who you are will prove you." I was baffled by the grammar, but got the message. God indeed has a sense of humour. The message I got was that I did not need to remind everyone of who I was in Him, but if I walked in Him, and with Him, who I am in Him will become evident to all.
This is not to say that we must not share what God has made of us - once I was a sinner, but now I am a sinner saved by grace. Praise God! There is a place for sharing God's Word, and faithfulness. There is a time to share what Christ has done for us. However, we must discern times we ought to allow ridicule and contempt, and not to talk back. When we are sure, and sure, and sure that we are in God's will, and as we walk in God's will, He has a way of dealing with all that oppose us. God has a day of reckoning, and it is never out of date. The ego of man enjoys to win all the time, but sometimes God allows you to lose temporarily. Have you ever watched a game where those that appeared to be losing actually won? The first shall be the last, and the last shall be the first , as it's usually put.
Sometimes, it requires a lot of self control to be in God's will. You may need a lot of patience to swallow up tauntings of men. May the good Lord strengthen us to be discerning, that we may know when to speak, and when to be silent. Silence can be golden!
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