Then Eli realized the LORD was calling the boy. So he told Samuel, “Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, ‘Speak LORD, I am your servant and I am listening.'” So Samuel went and lay down in bed. The LORD came and stood there and called as he had before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel said, “Speak LORD, I am your servant and I am listening.” –1 Samuel 3:8b
The clock on my nightstand read 2:00 a.m. and I was wide awake. My sleep had been interrupted by a dream, one so clear that it took me a few minutes to realize I had been sleeping.
The progression of the dream was sketchy, but the people in the dream and the situation surrounding them were crystal clear. The main character was a friend who had recently experienced a tremendous personal loss. While I wasn’t sure what to make of the dream, I felt a very real urgency to pray for her; however, since I hadn’t seen her lately, I was quite unsure what to pray. Laying there in the dark, my thoughts drifted to the passage in Romans that reads, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” After awhile, I fell back to sleep, placing my friend in the hands of God.
Some time later I ran into my friend. I wasn’t sure if I should mention the dream but a persistent, familiar tug pulled on my heart. As she was leaving, I mentioned that I had had a dream about her and told her the details. Her reaction was immediate. She closed the door and looked at me with a quizzical expression and promised to call me later. That evening on the phone she shared that my dream was 100% correct and my prompting to pray must have been from God.
Now, I am not like the Old Testament prophet Daniel and claim no power to interpret dreams, but what I do know is that sometimes God prompts you to do something for someone. In my particular case, I knew that I was supposed to pray. In the Scripture above, Samuel was prompted to listen. In the book of Acts, Barnabas is prompted to go to a certain house on a certain street. In each scenario runs a common theme: obedience to the voice of God for the completion of His will. Are you ready for God to prompt you to action? Are you ready to obey?
GOING DEEPER:
Today, be sensitive to what God is prompting you to do. It may be as simple as calling a friend, sharing in the laughter of a child, or mending a broken relationship. Whatever it is, find the courage to act on it.
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 42:8; Psalm 16:7