When Did You Last Experience Silence?
Life is loud. And if you live in Charleston, you know exactly what that means — the trucks, the C-17s overhead, the constant hum of a city that never quite switches off. But if you're honest, the loudest noise probably isn't coming from outside. It's the financial worry you can't shake, the relationship that keeps grinding, the failures that replay in your head long after everyone else has moved on.
What if the one thing your soul is craving isn't more answers — but silence?
That's the question Pastor Dave Thomas unpacked in a recent message at Courageous Church, and it's one that landed differently than expected.
The Room Nobody Can Sit In
There's a room in Minneapolis engineered to be the quietest place on earth. It measures at -9 decibels — it doesn't just block noise, it absorbs it. You'd think that would be a dream. A place to finally breathe. But here's the thing: nobody has lasted longer than 45 minutes inside it. In the absence of all external noise, people are confronted with what's actually going on inside them. And for most of us, that's the part we've been avoiding.
We've Forgotten How to Stop
Pastor Dave made the case that our generation might be the one that needs stillness the most — and is the least equipped for it. We live in a world where even birds have changed their pitch to be heard over traffic. Whales have rerouted migration paths because of the noise of boats. The world is objectively louder than at any point in human history, and it's quietly costing us our clarity, our creativity, and our connection to something deeper.
An Ancient Story That Feels Uncomfortably Current
The message centres on the story of Elijah — a man who had just experienced one of the greatest moments of his life, only to completely fall apart the next day. Running. Hiding under a bush. Done. "I've had enough, Lord." It's a feeling most of us recognise, even if we'd phrase it differently. I'm putting my notice in. I'm done with this relationship. I gave it everything and it still fell apart.
What's striking is how God responds. Not with a lecture. Not with a five-point plan. He feeds him, lets him sleep, and then meets him in a cave — not with wind, earthquake, or fire, but with a gentle whisper. The breakthrough didn't come louder. It came quieter than Elijah had ever been willing to go.
Two Minutes. That's It.
The challenge from this message isn't complicated. Two minutes of stillness every day this week. Find your cave — a closet, a parked truck, a walk around the block — turn the noise off, breathe, and say something simple: "God, you're here with me." That's the whole thing.
Because sometimes, before the plan comes the presence. And the presence is found in the quiet.
Courageous Church meets every Sunday at 9:00am & 10:30am in Charleston, SC. Whether you're new to the city, new to faith, or somewhere in between — you're welcome here.