Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:9–10
So Eli told Samuel, online “Go and lie down, ampoule and if he calls you, treatment say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Thought for the Day:  Samuel is trying to sleep in the little Brooklyn loft he shares with three others, but his mind is racing. He’s thinking about all the work he has tomorrow—the long commute into Manhattan, the rushing around on a street so crowded with other people trying to get to work, that it would probably be faster to walk on top of their heads. Life is stress. Eventually, though, Sam drifts off to sleep.

Suddenly, in the middle of the night, he’s jarred awake by the ringing of his phone. He groggily looks at the Caller ID flashing “unknown” on the screen, so Sam ignores the call. “It’s late! Or early! At any rate, it’s no time to be getting phone calls”! he thinks to himself in a hazy, half-slumbered moment. Just as Sam starts to drift back to sleep, there’s another call. Another “unknown.” Samuel thinks, “Yeesh. This has got to be a wrong number”, and doesn’t even let the call finish ringing this time; he just clicks the “don’t accept” button on his phone and goes back to sleep (I mean, who’s calling at this hour of the morning anyway?). But later, the phone rings again. Samuel begrudgingly answers, and is immediately snapped into consciousness by the voice of God. And finally, Sam is ready to wake up and listen.

Prayer: I hear the phone ringing, Lord. I hear you calling. Wake me from my slumber, God of Awareness, and I will gladly listen. Amen.