The preacher said, "Adopt silence and solitude into your daily routine to improve your ability to hear God's voice."
Who knew that it could drive you crazy?
It sounds like a good idea. Schedule some silence and alone time so that you can quiet the cacophony of noise that rattles our heads and our hearts. But if you've ever actually experienced a long stretch of silence without interruption, you may find yourself itchy with anxiety.
According to Rose Eveleth's article in The Smithsonian titled, "World's Quietest Place Will Drive Your Crazy," the practice of being alone and silent isn't as easy as it may seem. The quietest place on earth is an anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minnesota. The longest that anyone has been alone and quiet in the room is 45 minutes.
The chamber was developed to test products to determine how loud they are and to measure an engine or motor's impact on its design. Additionally, NASA has sent astronauts to experience the quiet of the chamber to prepare them for the silence of space. Those who have sat in the anechoic chamber and experienced the negative decibels report feeling disoriented and unable to perform routine exercises and even stand or walk. Without sound to orient you to your surroundings, you'll likely find yourself bewildered by an alien and unfamiliar reality.
I find this anecdote to be helpful. When I have adopted the spiritual discipline of silence and solitude, I've found it particularly challenging. When I am quiet and still, I frequently hear-- and am challenged--by my inner demons and temptations.
I find comfort knowing that I'm not alone in my experience of being alone and quiet. Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit immediately after his baptism for an extended period of silence and solitude. While alone, the devil sought him out and engaged him. Tormented by temptations to fulfill his physical needs and desires, Satan invited Jesus to worship him in exchange for temporal power and authority.
With each temptation, however, Jesus responded by quoting the Holy Scriptures to conquer the one who sought to derail and hijack God's mission.
Conclusion? Silence and solitude are necessary practices as we seek to walk humbly with God. But when we leave the world that we inhabit and venture into the wilderness of solitude, we must take Jesus with us. Christ protects us from thoughts that can haunt us, and ultimately Jesus will guard us against temptation. Jesus experienced temptation when he was alone, and we can expect to be also. We'd best be prepared.
As we reflect on the story of Jesus's temptations, I don't think Jesus's sojourn in the wilderness encourages us to battle Satan by ourselves. We are not Christ. The Bible teaches us that we are our best selves in community, not in isolation. We practice silence and solitude as a respite from our noisy world, with the added blessing of hearing God's voice. But we'd best be aware that when we make time for quiet, other voices can be heard, as well.
When we find ourselves on a lonely path or sitting still in a quiet room in our homes once the kids have been put to bed, be sure to take Jesus with you to fill the gaps that the silence creates.
Otherwise, the quiet may drive you crazy in less than an hour.