Who Do You Say? Reading With the People of God #19Näide

The Silence of Heaven and the Cry of the Saints

There are moments when suffering seems to echo into a silent heaven. Job knew that feeling well. In Job 16–17, he pours out his heart in raw lament: “Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high” (Job 16:19 ESV). His friends have failed him. His body is broken. His hope feels thin. Yet in the middle of his pain, Job looks upward. Though heaven seems silent, he believes there is a Witness above—someone who will plead for him when no one else will. That flicker of faith in Job anticipates something far greater.

Centuries later, John is taken up into heaven (Revelation 5). There, he sees a scroll in God’s hand—sealed, mysterious, representing God’s sovereign plan for history. But no one is found worthy to open it, and John weeps. That is the silence of heaven Job felt: Who can make sense of suffering? Who can bring justice, redemption, and meaning? Then one of the elders says, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah… has conquered” (v. 5 ESV). John turns—and sees a Lamb, “standing, as though it had been slain” (v. 6 ESV). The conquering Lion is the slain Lamb. Heaven is not silent after all; it’s waiting for the right moment to unveil the victory of Christ.

The seals begin to open (Revelation 6), and history unfolds with judgment, suffering, and the cries of the martyrs: “O Sovereign Lord… how long?” (6:10 ESV). That question is the echo of Job’s. Yet now, their cries rise before the Lamb who reigns. They are given white robes and told to rest a little longer. History is not spinning out of control—it is unfolding according to the scroll in the Lamb’s hand.

Puritan thoughts often said that Christ’s intercession is the pillow on which suffering saints may rest their weary heads. Job glimpsed this truth dimly; we see it clearly. When heaven feels silent, the Lamb is still on the throne, opening the scroll.

Prayer

Lord, when suffering tempts us to despair, remind us of our Witness in heaven—the Lamb who was slain and now reigns. Help us trust Your timing, even when heaven seems quiet. Strengthen our faith to rest in Your sovereign plan. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Primer contributed by Tomás Portillo, Sinner Saved by Grace