Pray BIG Prayers – Listen

How often do we treat prayer like a box to tick, or a wish-list to ask for?

There is a wonderful passage in 1 Samuel 3 wherein young Samuel is given some points on prayer from Eli.

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

1 Samuel 3.7-10

Whilst we do have the confidence, the ability, and the access to go directly to God in prayer (Hebrews 4.16), often there is a reverence lacking in our prayer. Often the conversation is not actually a conversation or a communion between two parties, it’s simply one asking the other for something; a gift, a barrier to be removed, a hurdle to be overcome. 

Eli’s words to Samuel are today’s BIG prayer. It’s only a few words, but they will transform your prayer time. Praying them – and then acting on them – will take discipline, diligence, and dedication. It’s so easy to have the mind wander, so easy to rattle off a list of cursory thank-you’s, so easy to ask for so many things, but, have you ever paused and said, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears‘?

So today I would challenge you to pray this, and only this, and see what the Lord has to say to you; 

‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears‘.