Divine Reticence
I am so fascinated by God's nature. I love learning more about him. Lately the Holy Spirit has been impressing this phrase on my mind, "Divine Reticence". God is divinely reticent.
The dictionary definition of reticence: "Reticence is a kind of reserve, wanting to avoid communication and not wanting to offer any more information than is necessary.
Reticence is a noun originating from the Latin word reticent, meaning “remaining silent.”
What I have realized is that God is who he is, he is the Great I AM, regardless of who I think he should be, or what I would like him to be. I'm learning to like him for who he is. In his infinite wisdom and all knowing ways He chooses to remain silent at times, and I have learned I just need to accept that. Sometimes in the past, I have gotten really frustrated with God and began yelling at him. I soon felt really bad because I realized He's been nothing but good to me, and only helped me. I found him speaking to me through the Holy Spirit only to "shut my mouth" and not speak. The words we speak are what become our reality. The same way God spoke and there was light, is how we speak and things become real.
Getting to know God has been an adventure. I have gotten to know his nature more, but he's still a mystery to me. I can't quite fully figure him out, and I love it. I can't quite wrap my mind around him, and that makes me love him even more. To me it's a wonder he actually wants anything to do with us tiny immature creatures. Sometimes I wonder if he wants to avoid communication because he gets aggravated with us. Maybe not, but that's what it feels like sometimes. I know he IS a deeply feeling God. He feels the things we feel. He is also much more emotionally intelligent in how he responds to us.
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
More things about God's nature: his love language is FAITH. That means we can best love him by trusting him fully. What else does God really need other than our love and trust? He has everything. The only thing he doesn't have is our love and trust, unless we give it to him.
Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
Also, I have learned we have to make an effort to find God. He hides his glory to a large degree. He is such a supreme being that he is everywhere at once and yet invisible. He has no need for anyone to validate him, but I know he is extremely pleased when people take the time and effort to uncover the mystery that He is. That's when we find that we can't help but fall in love with him. He's so easy to love.
“God has set up in the Church visible signs to make himself known to those who should seek him sincerely, and that he has nevertheless so disguised them that he will only be perceived by those who seek him with all their heart” - Blaise Pascal (Pensées 194)
Jeremiah 29:13
"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
Also, God is a deeply caring and compassionate lover. He is love's definition. He loves passionately, and that's an understatement. Words will never adequately describe the way he loves us. It must be experienced to be understood. His love is a vehement flame. It's an inferno that will set your whole inner being on fire, a fire that cannot be quenched, a fire that burns for him and will not go out. He will fill your heart with the deepest kind of love, the likes of which you have never experienced. His love is so deep and heavy it can actually feel painfully intense to the human heart.
The next thing I've learned about God's nature is he doesn't say more than what's necessary for us to hear. His words and nature are complete perfection, no more and no less than absolute perfection. When he speaks, he speaks with all power and authority over heaven and earth. He speaks and the earth quakes and trembles at his words. He is above all things. He is creator and master of every living thing in all of the heavens, and of everything on earth. When he speaks he's very clear, crystal clear. There is no impurity, deceit or fault in him. His words hold all truth and depth of knowledge and wisdom. When Jesus spoke in parables in the Bible, he spoke in spiritual truths that were foolishness to the natural man's ears. We must discern spiritual truths only through the spirit of truth, which is the Holy Spirit. He speaks with absolute truth, and only says what's necessary and which imparts grace to us.
God is also humorous. He has a brilliant sense of benevolent humor. He prefers understated humor that's highly intelligent, witty and deeply true. It's the kind of humor that makes you think, unlike some of the stupid humor we are used to.
So...God is kind of quiet and very deep. In a society that values the loud-mouthed extrovert, there's a kind of timeless elegance to God's quiet thoughtful nature that's refreshing and beautiful. He's compassionate, complex, deep and mysterious, the "strong, silent type". No words can accurately describe all that God is.
I really feel the Lord impressing on my heart to really begin to watch what I say. I want to practice "Divine Reticence", and learn the beauty of remaining silent, only saying the right words at the right time. Similar to cutting back on intake of food, I want to try and cut back on my output of words, so that each word spoken has meaning and purpose. I want to do an internal check, and THINK before I speak. If it's not True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary or Kind I don't want to say it. This includes my inner voice.
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."
Other great verses about reticence:Matthew 15:11
"Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
James 3:6
"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell."
James gets serious in this verse, but it's all these things: true, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind. He's kind in a loving way to speak this truth. This is not just a suggestion, it's a warning. What you speak is serious business. What you speak is what comes into existence.
Proverbs 25:11
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
In settings of silver."
In settings of silver."
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