Green Bank, West Virginia, is called the "quietest town in America." A sign at the edge of town states, "You are entering the Radio Astronomy Instrument Zone: Diesel Vehicles Only; No Portable Electronics except for Authorized Purposes; Do not install or leave Unattended any equipment that does not comply with ITU-R RA.769."

This 13,000 square mile area is home to the Green Bank Observatory. It has the largest steerable radio telescopes in the world to measure invisible energy waves descending on earth. It has found black holes, radiation belts, and gravitational waves. Electromagnetic silence is required to do the necessary tasks. At its inception, the federal government established Pocahontas County as a National Radio Quiet Zone.

Operating any electrical equipment within ten miles of the observatory is punishable with a $50 fine. The authorities have never enforced this law.

What would life be like without cell phones? For one thing, we would be forced to engage in face-to-face communication. Plus, the absence of cell phones would reduce many irrelevant and annoying distractions. This quietness would allow us to concentrate better on the task before us, including our ability to hear from God.

As Christians today, we sing songs like "Sweet Hour of Prayer," but sadly in our distractedness we often find it hard to give God even five minutes of prayer. And we sing "Draw Me Nearer" but seldom take the time to draw nigh to God. To our own detriment, we allow the noise and distractions of this world to steal our peace and drown out even the smallest hint of a word from our Lord.

Psalm 46:10 (KJV) says, "Be still and know that I am God." Today might be the right time to shut off the world's distractions and be quiet before the Lord. Give Him the time to speak to you through His Word and your prayer time.