But God can't be tamed. It is we who must be tamed. God, not humanity, is sovereign. Through bloody wars and social upheavals God waits for our response to His announced Kingdom. As we bow in respectful silence we will see the Sovereign Lord rousing Himself from His holy temple, and once more hear His voice calling us to faithful obedience.
Silence prepares for effective social witness.
A New Jersey tailor in the 1740's, John Woolman, had cultivated habits of the heart that included Bible reading and silent waiting. And on the holy ground of his burning heart the Lord commissioned this youth a prophet to speak judgment against social wrongs, particularly violence to animals, economic injustices that led to drunkenness, and human slavery. Because Woolman heeded as well as heard the Spirit, he quietly convinced fellow Quakers and then other Christians to stop slave holding. His humble and persistent witness quickened the conscience of the Church, so it could truly leaven society to correct injustices hitherto overlooked or wronglyjustified. Woolman's power came through silent waiting before the Lord.