Considerations

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:
… a time to be silent and a time to speak… (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7)

Do I always need to have a comeback when my faith is attacked?

As believers, we can feel that it is our responsibility to defend the Christian faith whenever it is attacked. Anytime there is a word spoken out against it, we can feel compelled that we should always be ready to dispute the misconceptions. The command in 2 Timothy 4:2 encourages us to: 

“Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.” 

The reason why is stated in the following verses:

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

But is there ever a time when a comeback is not the way to go?

This week, I got my answer to this very question. I found myself in the midst of a very heated discussion about the Christian faith. Personally I had never witnessed such rage firsthand directed towards the Christian faith. It was a rage heard in the words and seen in the body language of the individual who was opposed to not only the Christian faith but also other religions. Prior to my attempt to engage in the discussion, I sought the Lord for wisdom about what to say. 

However, I found myself discerning a few minutes into the discussion that this was not the time to say anything. The tone of the conversation had changed dramatically and I found myself listening instead of speaking; taking the time to hear what was being shouted at me instead of shaping a comeback to counteract it. And in that moment, I realized that my response in this discussion was to be this: NOTHING.

What do I mean by NOTHING?

By NOTHING I mean, it was not for me to say anything in the heat of the moment. My best response for this situation was silence. As Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us, there is a time for everything, including a time to be silent. Yes, we are called to be ready in and out of season as God does bring us opportunities to speak for the purpose of telling others the Good News (2 Timothy 4:5b). But there are also times for us to say absolutely nothing in order for us to have the opportunity to listen and absolutely hear everything. 

What can we hear? We can hear not only what they are saying but possibly understand where the pain, anger, and opposition to the Christian faith comes from. Then we can have an appropriate reaction of praying for them intelligently; that is, to pray for them based on what we have heard from them. Because in some hostile moments like these, our words can yield nothing but further resentment and hatred. But when we hear what they are saying, we can use it to shape specific prayers to God for Him to meet that person right where they are at. It is not our responsibility to persuade people; it’s to love them despite where they currently rest in their beliefs. 

The Silent Alternative

We love through our words and actions as well as through our silent prayers for them to our Heavenly Father who can transform a life in the blink of an eye. There’s no comeback that can ever move a person like that of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Not quite convinced? Look at Saul who later became known as Paul and wrote the most books in the New Testament. He did not come to Jesus Christ because he was convinced by someone’s persuasive argument. It was a personal encounter with Jesus that caused Saul to turn around and believe. As he made his way in a rage to Damascus to further persecute Christians, Jesus met him right there on the road. There was no heated discussion. No back and forth presentation of evidence but simply Jesus Christ meeting Saul right where he was at with his beliefs. 

Comebacks are not always necessary. There is a time and a place for them and God will provide them when they are needed. But just as they have a time and place, so does silence. It becomes the time and place to listen, to hear, to pray and then watch what only God can do in others’ lives.