When Silence is Painful

When Silence is Painful

By Spencer Clark

Depending on your personality, you may enjoy silence or absolutely hate it. A long walk in the silence of nature can be rejuvenating for some, while others prefer the excitement of a sporting event or crowded space. Even for those who enjoy silence, we learned over the past few years that human interaction is an essential piece of our health and stability. Silence is not nearly as attractive as it once was. Silence can be painful.

When it comes to our iniquities, silence is arguably the worst solution. David writes in Psalm 32 how when he “kept silent, my bones grew old” (Psa. 32:3 NKJV), by which he means a painful process consisting of “groaning.” The reason for his suffering was because he was not acknowledging his sin to God (Psa. 32:5). He had hidden his sins and kept silent about them.

David realized, however, that he could not keep silent before God and continue to hide his sins from Him. So, David confessed to God and He forgave. A person who is forgiven is a blessed and happy person (32:1). A person who is forgiven is not sitting around in silence while their bones waste away in agony. A forgiven person is no longer held accountable for that sin (Psa. 32:2). A forgiven person trusts that God can forgive sin when they confess it to Him (1 John 1:9).

When we sit in silence on our sins, we will waste away inside. When we refuse to confess, acknowledge, and admit them to God, we will experience a lack of peace and happiness in our life. Relief will only come through confession to the Lord and not in the silence of our own mind.

How long will we sit in the painful silence of our sins? God does not refuse to forgive us, but we refuse to repent, confess, and trust that He is faithful and able to forgive.