In Revelation 8:1, the text reads, “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven for about half an hour.” I have always found this text puzzling. Is the silence about respect or awe? Does it intend to show how important the next section of the revelation is? Are we to look for some other meaning?
I know that silence can be a very important matter. There are times when words or even noise is inappropriate. Silence in the presence of God can be a mark of respect. Silence may enable us to listen for God’s voice. It is hard to listen while we are still speaking. Silence can be a way of making ourselves receptive to hear the “still small voice.”
When we have learned the discipline of quiet waiting, we notice much that is obscure in our noisy fast-paced existence. “Be still and know that I am God,” is still the divine counsel. It can be one of the marks of love to find comfort in the presence of another even when no words are spoken. Like Samuel we can say to the divine voice, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
Silence in the presence of the divine majesty may actually speak louder than any words. Maybe it was so for that half hour in Heaven as John the Revelator experienced it.