There certainly is a time to speak and a time to be silent and the time to speak is now. Over the years we have listened silently to the cries of the oppressed but we can no longer be silent and just wish that it will all go away. Whenever the cries stop it usually means that someone or something has died. It should alarm us when the cries stop and the oppression continues. It should alarm us when the struggle to get to a better place stops and we have not arrived. We can no longer afford to be silent and allow injustice to prevail. For many years people of color have been silent who were racially profiled, bullied, hanged, discriminated against, raped, beaten, brutalized, denied educational and employment opportunities to progress but the time has come to speak out against such injustices. We can no longer cower in fear and hide because we are stronger and wiser and our children are depending on us not to fail them.

I am reminded of a story called Horton Hears a Who. In the story Horton is an elephant who was in a jungle, swimming in a pool, when he heard a small voice coming from a speck that was floating past his ear. Horton tries to convince others that there were people living on the small speck but most of the animals around him did not believe him because they couldn’t hear the voice that Horton heard. So they tried to destroy the speck that Horton was trying to protect. Horton told the mayor of Whoville, the speck, that all the people of Whoville needed to make some loud noises so that his other animal friends could hear them or their whole planet would be destroyed. The People of Whoville made loud noises banging, rattling and shouting “we are here!” “We are here!” But they still couldn’t be heard by the other animals in the Horton’s Jungle. There was one little person in Whoville, who was not making any sounds. His father the mayor went after him to find him, turns out the little guy had a whole ensemble of loud clanging gadgets in his little hide out spot. He sets them in motion just in time to save Whoville, the speck, from being destroyed by the jungle animals. The take way from this story is that we all have a voice and we must not be silent when others are in distress.

How can we be silent in a world where we have been given a voice by the silent tears of others? Many have wept and died silently so that we can sit in restaurants, go to schools, use swimming pools, public parks, restrooms and ride on buses and trains without having to go to the “colored”section. The things we take for granted now were the things that other people died for, how can we be silent?

How can we be silent when there is racial discrimination in the school systems? Our children are denied proper education and graded unfairly because of the color of their skin. How can we be silent when we are denied equal opportunity in the workplace because of the color of our skin? People who have no education or qualifications are promoted base on their skin color and then force you to do the work for them. How can you be silent? Enough is enough!

How can we be silent when there is a shrilling cry for help? There are too many unanswered SOS signals have around us. Do we not hear them? Do we not see them? We keep waiting on God to do something but God is waiting on us to be our brothers keeper. God is waiting on us to be the Good Samaritan and blend our voices with those who are crying for help. The truth is they are not the only ones who need help we need help.

How can we be silent when black lives are being destroyed and there are knees on our necks? When a person is attacked or kill because of the color of their skin we cannot afford to be silent because the next day it might be you or someone you love. Regardless of the color of your skin we are created equal in the eyes of your creator. No one deserves to die with a knee in their neck! No one has the right to take the breathe that God breathes into us when he created us!! It grieves the heart of God when we bite and devour one another. The Prophet Isaiah said we should cry aloud and spare not, we should lift up our voices like a trumpet. It’s time for us to be silent no more.

How can we be silent when the blood of the slain is crying out in the streets? Able’s blood cried out from the ground and God heard it. He is still hearing the cries of the innocent blood slain in the streets and God is not silent about it. Make no mistake whatever a person sow that shall he also reap, the wicked will be punished. God will not pervert Justice because He is a righteous God.

How can we be silent when there are children at our borders crying desperately for help? Don’t you know that the Lord says to remember the orphans and the widows and those for whom nothing have been provided? (James 1:27). Do you not know that you prevent your prayers from being answered when you close your ears and eyes to the needs of the poor? Do you not know that if you give a cup of cold water in the name of the Lord you will not lose you reward?

How can we be silent when there’s justice for all except for people of color? Can we be silent when the wicked pervert justice by showing favoritism to the privilege? The Bible says, ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. (Leviticus19:15). The oppressed will always cry out when there is injustice and we must weep when they weep because we are oppressed too. Sometimes we are too blind to see that we are also oppressed so we remain silent while others cry.

There comes a time when we can no longer remain silent. Most often we look to the elders and people in authority to speak on our behalf but “Sometimes the elders are not wise. Sometimes the aged do not understand justice.” (Job 32:9). Since the start of this Chaos the nation has have been looking to the elders to speak up to say what God is saying concerning the situation, to say or do something to bring some kind of calm to our anxious souls but nothing. The governmental leaders are so quiet you can hear crickets chirping. Some churches are as quiet as a mouse tiptoeing around the elephant in the room. Where are the leaders of the nation? Where are the elders who can stand up and speak truth to power? Where are the Nathan’s? Where are the David’s? Where are the mighty men of valor? Why are you so silent?

How can we be silent when God says speak? Elihu is a young man in the book of Job who was listening to conversations between Job and his friends regarding his predicament. Jobs friends believe that Job did some thing wrong and God was punishing him. Elihu refused to speak because he believed that the older men should speak since they should be wiser than he was. Job insisted on his innocence and stated that God was picking a quarrel with him. At Job’s firm insistence on his integrity his friends refuse to correct him any further. Elihu then became angry because they did not defend the integrity and honor of God against Job’s integrity. Elihu felt like it was dishonorable to God to end the conversation the way it ended because it made Job appears to be more righteous than God.

Elihu could no longer remain silent because he became “full of words” and The spirit within him compels him to speak he said he felt like he was ready to burst and he had to speak so that he could find relief. (Job‬ ‭32:18-20‬). Elihu spoke to defend God’s honor, Elihu told Job that he was not as innocent as thought he was. He told Job that he was wrong for thinking God was picking a quarrel with him. (Job 33:9-10) Elihu told Job that God is greater than any human being so why are you saying he doesn’t respond to people’s complaints? (Job 33:13) God is always speaking but we are the ones failing to recognize his voice. God is always speaking throughout creation. He spoke to the rocks and they obey, He spoke to the ocean and it obeys. He spoke to the stars and they obey. He hung the earth in space and told her to stay there and it obeys. God is always speaking to his creation! what makes you think that He will be silent when you have a complaint?

Elihu continues his discourse, God is not an unjust God! He will not be silent because He desires to save our souls from the pit of destruction. God is not silent Job. He speaks to you in various ways but we do not hear or perceive it. He will speak to us in dreams and visions and other times He will speak to us through pain sorrow, unrest and upheavals. Sometimes He will send messengers to speak to us. There are many ways that God is speaking us in this season of time. I believe the Pandemic is a messenger, the injustice is a messenger, these things are sometimes sent to wake us up from sleeping behind the wheel of salvation. We are about to veer off course but God’s messenger is waking us up to take action to correct our course.

The messenger sometimes warns us to repent. Many times throughout the Bible God sent messengers to warn Israel of their sins. One time He sent a messenger named Jeremiah, a prophet, to warned the nation of Israel that death and destruction was coming. God sent him to warn the nation but they beat him and throw him in prison. They refused to heed God’s message, Jeremiah decided he would not speak any more because when he spoke bad things happened. He decided to be silent but He could not be silent because the word of God became like a fire shot up in his bones.

“Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,or speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭20:9‬.

You can not be Silent when God is speaking. Jeremiah wanted to live a normal life and not be the one to break the silence and be hated for it. Jeremiah wanted to be quiet and hope that ”these things” just fix themselves but he could not. God had spoken and like Amos, Jeremiah discovered that when “The Sovereign Lord has spoken no can refuse to proclaim his message? (Amos‬ ‭3:7-8‬)

Jeremiah would soon come to learn that when you wrestle with God, He always prevail. Jeremiah learned that God does nothing in the earth unless He reveals them to servant. (Amos 3:7) Jeremiah came to learn that God’s actions are always preceded by His words. Jeremiah could not be silent, he had heard the message of the Lord and had no choice but to proclaim it.

My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of battle. Jeremiah 4:19)

The message of the Lord today is that the time has come when everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Since the start of the year God has literally been shaking the earth. There have been earthquakes in many different parts of earth, most of them have been comparable moderate and us reflective of mild birth contractions

Birth pains do not start out intense but will intensify as the labor progresses and delivery draws near. What you see happening in the world today are just moderate birthing contractions which are intended to prepare the body of Christ for His return. Pestilence is a part of the contraction, nation against nations (race and race) is a part of the contractions, lawlessness is a part of the contractions and famine is a part of the contraction, these things must happen but the end is not yet for the Lord said these are just the beginning of sorrow.

”For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:7-8)

When you see these things happening we must understand that the church is in labor and therefore cannot be silent. We must sound the alarm, wake up the mighty men of valor.

I never saw a pregnant woman giving birth quietly. The church is in labor sons and daughters are being born and just because we are going through a birthing process doesn’t mean we won’t get Justice. If you go to the hospital to deliver a baby and some medical malpractice took place you know exactly what to do to get justice. The same is true right now, our Lawyer’s name is Jesus Christ. He wins every case every time. His judgment is just and precise because He is able to judge the heart. Take your case to the court of heaven in prayer and let God give you the Justice you deserve. Refuse to be silent, God is waiting to hear from you and He will give you divine instructions on what actions to take.

So as we feel the pain of these current contractions let us get ourselves in position for birth! Refuse to be silent! Weep with those who weep! Mourn with those who mourn!Just like the little people’s in Whoville we all have a voice and we must speak up so that our voices can be heard.