Quiet Time

I learned a long time ago that if I don't dedicate solid, nobody-but-me-and-the-Lord, prayer time in the morning, I may very well not get to it later in the day.  Yes, I pray one-liner prayers throughout the day, but in the morning, I give full, undivided attention to Him.  Yet, I've concluded lately, that after praising and petitioning the Lord in intercessory prayer, I'm not spending time simply listening to Him. 

So for the past couple days after I've praised and poured out my heartfelt concerns to Him, I just sat in silence.  I found it extremely difficult to shut down my thoughts, to not let my mind wander.  I closed my eyes.  I asked the Lord, please help me stop thinking so I can listen to You.  I know that I'm going to have to make time every day to be quiet in His presence and I'm going to need His help.  I want to be like the Psalmist David.  He said in Psalm 131:

¹ My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
² But I have calmed myself  and quieted my ambitions.
I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

We're told in Ecclesiates 3 that 'there is a time to be silent.'  Habakkuk 2 says:  But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.    I challenge you to not only pray without ceasing, but to also practice being silent with the Lord, to give Him room to speak to You.  I'll let you know how this is going for me.  And I hope to hear from you, too. 

Father, when I pray to You, You are in Your holy temple; help me to silence my thoughts so that I hear from You.