There are times when to speak is to violate the moment, when silence represents the highest respect. The word for such times is reverence, and the prayer for such times is “Hallowed be thy name.” Do not worry about having the right words; worry more about having the right heart. It’s not eloquence God seeks, just honesty.
This was a lesson Job learned. If he had a fault, it was his tongue. He talked too much. He defines God, explains God, reviews God. We’re thirty-seven chapters into the book of Job before God clears his throat to speak, and Job cannot help but get the point: only God defines God.
Job replies, “I am not worthy…so I will put my hand over my mouth” (Job 40:4 NCV). Before he heard God, Job couldn’t speak enough. But after he heard God, he couldn’t speak at all.
