Be Still and Know

The anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minnesota is the quietest place on earth, with background noise measured at -9.4 dBA. Steven Orfield, the lab’s founder, says that in the chamber’s dark, absolute quiet, the ears adapt, leading to heightened internal awareness. You become the only sound, hearing even the beating of your heart and the gurgling of your stomach. This extreme quiet has both intrigued and challenged those who have experienced it. So profound is the silence that the longest stay recorded is 45 minutes (Eveleth, Rose, Smithsonian Magazine).

You know, when we take the time to be still, who knows what we might hear? Perhaps that is why, in the Bible, moments of silence and reflection are often seen as opportunities to discover God. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Silence provides an opportunity to listen more intently and explore God’s presence.

Like the quietness of the anechoic chamber, sitting in silence to focus on God’s Spirit, whispering can be daunting at first. But according to Psalms 46:10, it is the way we experience the intimacy of His presence.

Duke Stone
After 40 years in full-time ministry, I try to see how the little things in life speak big things about God. This blog is an attempt to share with you the many ways I see the love of God in the ordinary things of life.