After the Recent Manchester terror attack in England…

I saw on the news, reports of crowds of people attending prayer vigils in support of the victims and families. Crowds were gathered… standing still, standing silent as the leader of the gathering lit candles and offered “a moment of silence” held on behalf of the victims and families.

My brain tinkered, “Silence… really?”  It’s questionable to me why we honor “a moment of silence?”

What does that even mean?

I had to ask my self… why in the world do we collectively offer a moment of silence?
What does silence even accomplish?

As I contemplated this apparent new social norm.  I thought… I’m not sure about others and I can only speak for myself.  But, if a tragedy were to hit my family, I would surly hope people would not offer my family and I “a moment of silence.”  I would more surely be eager and appreciative for a moment of prayer instead.

How in the world have we gotten so politically correct that we cannot even come together as a community, or as a society and pray to God on behalf of others?

Prayer can actually accomplish something for people, but what does a moment of silence do?  The idea that we cannot publicly say “I’m praying for you” seems preposterous to me.

So instead, we stand within our crowds and we offer as a community, as a country and as a society, “a moment of silence” to those who have experienced the most heinous tragedy of a lifetime.

We stop what we are doing and hold still while the master of the ceremony say’s… “we now will offer a moment of silence on behalf of the victims and their families.”  Really??? Silence, is what we offer them?

How many of us in our deepest time of need say to others, “can you please offer me a moment of silence, we are really having a difficult time right now?”

Just to even phrase it, sounds goofy to me!

Of course we do not do that.  What we typically do in our deepest and darkest moments (even if we are not people of faith) is to ask for those who are people of faith to please pray for us.

Why? Because I believe deep inside each of us, is the knowledge that there is someone greater than ourselves out there in this enormous place we call our world.

For some, they may call “the greater’ a higher power.  For others, they may call “the greater” Jehovah.  For some, Baba.  For some it may be aliens.  Some call it Mohamed.  For some, it is Jesus and for most they simply call “the greater”, God.

It is actually very few people who believe there is not someone “greater” out there than we the person.

It actually takes much more faith to believe there is not a God of this universe than to believe there is.  All you have to do is take a serious look around at nature and science to know someone greater than us, must exist.

And, although it is only a small minority who believe in nothing greater than they.  Our society as the majority once again, aqueous her voices to their belief and offers “a moment of silence” rather than public prayer so as not to offend their lack of faith in God.

I am deeply astounded by how we as a society continue to bow down for the minority, rather, than the other way around.

You see it demonstrated on a daily basis throughout life.  It was only a small minority who many years ago pressed to take prayer out of our schools, while the majority offered our own “moments of silence” until a law was eventually passed to prevent us from praying in any public schools across this county.  (As if prayer in schools harmed anyone except the conscience of the few persons in that school who choose to believe in nothing greater than themselves).

It was the small minority who initially raised their voices to legalize abortion, while the mass majority offered “a moment of silence” as Roe versus Wade changed the landscape for American babies for years to come.

It is today, still (believe it or not) a small minority who pulls the stings behind the scenes in our political and social scenes, to ultimately alter the course of American life from what we know it, or once knew it… to what they want it to be.
And, it is this same small minority who tells us, in our nation or any nation, at times of distress and great tragedy.  At times of great need, that we should all publicly hover together in one accord and offer one another “a moment of silence.”

Heck no! Not this voice.

This voice is willing to respect the minorities lack of faith in God, by not forcing on them my own belief.  However, this voice is not willing to aqueous and turn over my belief and faith in God to the faithless by standing in “a moment of silence.”

So while the crowd stands without voices, hovered together in the corporate meaningless moment of silence, as if to accomplish something.

You can be sure, this voice will rather be speaking to The God whom hears on behalf of those who have a great and desperate need.

This voice will be calling out to a God in whom my faith names as Yahweh and as Jesus. This voice will speak up to beg for His grace, His mercy His peace and His comfort for the lives of the hurting in their time of great need.

And, it is this voice, which speaks up at this moment to publicly proclaim… When the day of trail approaches for myself or for my family (because eventually a little rain must come to each of our lives).

In that day, would you please not offer us “a moment of silence.”  But, would you rather, with my permission, raise up your voice and offer us your voices of prayer to our God who is named Jehovah of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament.  For it is He who is, The God who hears!

2 Chronicles 7:14
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

James 5:16
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”