I didn’t know that I live in the middle of constant noise until the day a film crew started shooting my prayer video series in our house. Before the camera started rolling, we turned off the refrigerator, the heat and the computer and unplugged all of the phones. I was sitting in an old platform rocker and—grrng!—the old springs let out a loud creak whenever I moved. Then in the middle of filming—ow, ow, owwwww—the beagle across the street treed a squirrel. My husband Gordon rushed over and knocked on the neighbor’s door. The dog stopped, and we resumed filming. Bam! Gordon had come back in, slamming the door.

The next morning when I sat down for my prayer time, a thousand plans and worries about finishing up the video started running through my mind. My mind is so noisy, I can’t hear God. The Bible says that Solomon was intent on keeping the temple site free of noisy, warlike iron tools and ordered all of the stones to be shaped in the quarry before being brought to the construction site.

Clang, clang. Are your thoughts about your daily business disturbing your prayer time? There’s plenty of time back at the quarry for getting things squared away. Sit back and enjoy the quiet. That’s where God speaks best.

Dear God, quiet down my busy thoughts so I can enter Your temple of prayer.