The Silence in the Symphony

The greatest composers know the value of an empty measure and the restful silence. The hearing audience waits with anticipation of the next movements of a symphony. So is it a surprise that the greatest Composer masterfully knows the power of waiting–of silence and the good that comes from it?

Over four hundred years occurred between the New Testament and the Old Testament. Not a single prophetic word from God. Only silence. Only waiting.

But what we do in the “wait” matters. For the symphony, the composer is keeping time and an attentive eye on those waiting to participate. He knows who is keeping watch and at the ready. The composer looks to the first instrument to break the silence and play the first note of the next symphonic movement. Then invites another to join the movement, and another, building to a crescendo that shakes the souls of those who can hear the music–music in the hand of the master, performed by the obedient at the perfect time.

God keeps time, and we obediently keep watch over his ways while we wait. Zechariah, the temple priest, and Elizabeth, a daughter of Aaron, both counted righteous before God, did the same (Luke 1:5-6). They kept watch over the commandments and statutes set before them in wait for a savior. They were obedient in looking to the greatest Composer of faith to be a part of the greatest symphony ever written. Though they had to wait into their old age to know the exact part they played.

When told, silence befell the old priest in doubt, and to the glory of the Composer’s work. The new movement would start with the daughter of Aaron, who'd been childless all her life. Hers would be the first note of the new movement–the voice in the wilderness, she would bear. With the name John, the priest’s voice would join the symphony’s movement, breaking not only his silence but the four-hundred-year prophetic pause, all to the glory of the Composer. (Luke 1:67-79)

We, too, are invited into the next movement of the Composer’s grand symphony. We wait in faith and obedience like Zechariah and Elizabeth. Through learning and looking to Him, we may slip, play a wrong note, or at the wrong time, but the Composer redeems our mistakes using them in this new symphonic movement called grace. So, as we join in, we patiently learn his ways, watch and listen to the Composer’s symphony, encouraging each participant to look to the Composer for direction. In prayer, we all diligently watch for His hands to act. Then, in his steadfast love and perfect timing, His hands invite us into His symphony, and we get to play a part in glorifying the work of the Composer. Be encouraged! Continue to wait on the Composer, and He will act for your benefit and invite you into His glory. (Psalms 37:5)