18 Oct: A Time to Speak
There is a time for everything . . . a time to be silent and a time to speak. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7
Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1–7
For thirty years, an African American woman faithfully served in a large international ministry. During those years, she sometimes tried to talk with her co-workers about racial injustice, but those conversations often went nowhere. The silence was painful.
Then, in the spring of 2020, as conversations about racism became more open around the world, some of her ministry colleagues finally began talking honestly about the issue. She was thankful the conversations had started, but that gratitude came with mixed emotions. After so many years of silence, there was also hurt in knowing how long it had taken.
There are times when silence is wise. Ecclesiastes reminds us that life has different seasons and that wisdom includes knowing what each moment requires:
“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).
But silence is not always harmless. When people are being treated unjustly because of prejudice, refusing to speak can allow that injustice to continue.
Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller understood this painfully well. He was imprisoned in Nazi Germany after speaking against the regime, and after the war he reflected on what can happen when people remain silent while others are targeted.
“First they came for the Communists,” he wrote, “but I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.” He continued by describing how they came for the Jews, the Catholics, and others, while he remained silent. Then came the final realization: “they came for me—and by that time there was no one left to speak up.”
His words remind us that injustice rarely affects only the people first targeted by it. When wrong is allowed to continue without challenge, the damage spreads.
It takes courage—and love—to speak up against injustice. Seeking God’s help, however, we recognize the time to speak is now.
By: Abigail Peterson
Go deeper on: A Time to Speak
Reflect & Pray
Why is it important not to be silent during discussions about injustice? What hinders your willingness to engage in such dialogue?
Dear God, release my tongue and heart from the enemy’s grip. Equip me to see and feel the harm of injustice so that I may speak up for those hurt by this sin.