speak

1/12/12 My breath prayer for the day has particular significance for me. Nine years ago, I was writing an application to enroll in a program for spiritual direction at Boston College and to take a sabbatical summer there. I was 50 years old, had been a pastor for 25 of those years, and I was tired. This verse from I Samuel 3:9c summed up the hunger in my soul, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." The context is this: the boy Samuel had been sleeping the house of the LORD, when the LORD came to him in a voice. Three times, the LORD came to Samuel, and 3 times Samuel went to his mentor Eli, thinking that it was Eli who had called. Finally, Eli gives Samuel the correct response. The next time you hear the voice, say, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." Nine years ago, I started listening in a whole new way, as I deepened my life in prayer through the practice of spiritual direction. Today, I still hunger for that voice, as I walk and pray in the mornings. The good news is that God is still speaking. Will we take the initiative and say, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening?"

Love,
Lynn