Have you ever heard of NRQZ? It’s an acronym for “National Radio Quiet Zone” and often it refers to a region around Green Bank, West Virginia where America’s largest radio telescope resides. This radio telescope has been operational for more than forty years and the region around the telescope is supposed to be free of cell phone signal, wifi contamination, microwave interference, etc. The reason that these modern conveniences are restricted in this area is so that the radio telescope can operate free from wave contamination – so it can have the most clear and unpolluted reception of various waves and frequencies from space.
So, it’s interesting to think about what our lives would look like without wifi, cell phone signal or usage, continual access to news, emails, social media, etc. The area around Green Bank is called a “Quiet Zone” because it’s supposed to be set aside for the scientific research with the radio telescope.
When I think about the “Quiet Zone,” I’m reminded of a very powerful verse in Job 20:20, where we read, “Because he knew no quiet within him, He does not retain anything he desires.”
This verse echoes in my soul and causes me to pause for reflection because we live in a very noisy, highly connected, attention demanding, messy, consuming world. We used to have more separation between our work and home life, but with the work from home phenomenon, it seems like we could be connected, working and giving our attention 24/7, with no quiet, no still, pause or rest from a frenzied, noisy, all-consuming world. Nevermind the added layer of social media and how we navigate something that can be so attention addictive.
This all brings me back to the verse in Job about keeping some quiet in our souls. According to this verse, if we are not retaining anything we desire, it is because we are not maintaining some steady quiet or stillness in our souls.
In thinking about this, how could we keep some quiet in our souls? Here are some suggestions that you might find helpful:
- Take a daily walk, even for 10-15 minutes, with no headphones or airpods, not talking on the phone. I find this practice to be helpful for my body, emotions, thinking and God connecting.
- Leave your phone in another room everyday for at least 30 minutes, such that you have some disconnect from notifications, texting, social media, alerts, etc.
- Take five minutes everyday to close your eyes, breath deeply and slowly. Some people call this mindful breathing.
- Watch for birds, squirrels, butterflies, various animals to observe God’s astounding creativity.
- Consider slowly memorizing some Bible verses, a chapter or a Psalm to let God’s Word richly dwell in you, like it says in Colossians 3:16.
- Be purposeful to release your requests and needs to God in exchange for God’s peace and stillness, to take up residence in your soul.
Cultivate quiet in your soul, even though it can seem awkward and uncomfortable when we first lean into this cultivation. Truly, we will retain what we desire as we cultivate the value and priority of maintain quiet in our souls.
