A Silent Evening Prayer at Six
Today’s Bible Verse
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
(1 Samuel 3: 10)
One of the disciplines that I have maintained about my daily prayer life is to set the alarm for 6 pm and to ensure to pray wherever I am, whatever I may be doing at that moment. Sometimes I am at home, and I get to light a lamp, put my hands together and pray. But many times, I am in the middle of something; riding a bike, listening to a stretching lecture, or in the queue at the supermarket. Whatever the situation would be, I pray, and at times it is just a whisper within.
While growing up as a chorister, I always happened to be at church on Saturday evenings rehearsing the songs for the next day's service with my fellow choristers. The church bell would ring at six, and the entire atmosphere would go silent. The organist would pause, the singing would halt, the whispers would cease, and the peals of laughter would be held back. I have seen the elder ones bending down their heads and praying. As years went on, I learned that as the church bell sounds at six every evening, we pray for two things. Firstly, in that silence of the dusk and the vibes of the church bell, we remember with thanksgiving those who had lived with us and have gone to be with the Lord, and then, secondly, we give ourselves into the safe hands of the Lord as the night and its darkness would fall soon.
Evening prayers are important. They mould our minds, hearts and body. They not only help us to be thankful for the day we have come across and think of Christ, who is the light in the midst of impending darkness that would soon fall, but they also prepare us to be vigilant to hear God speaking to us. Sunset prayers and evening hymns are like lamps that we set light for the night watch. They stay throughout the night, somewhere in the corner of the room, helping us sleep with confidence and hope. Evening prayers help us remember that in the midst of all ends and darkness, we have a burning and living hope, and that hope is none other than Jesus Christ our Lord.
Realising the holiness, power and grandeur of the night that God spoke to Samuel, the Rev. James. D. Burns had written this famous hymn back in 1854.
Hushed was the evening hymn,
The temple courts were dark,
The lamp was burning dim
Before the sacred ark;
When suddenly a Voice divine
Rang through the silence of the shrine.
Little Samuel was not aware of the Voice that was calling him. The Bible says, "Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down" (1 Samuel 3: 4, 5). The same repeated thrice. Every time Samuel would hear the Lord calling him, he would run to Eli. "Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, 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” (1 Samuel 3: 8-10). The incident makes me wonder about the height of preparedness that was in the surroundings. The place and the people were prepared to receive the call of the Lord. It was the preparation in the evening that kept everything set for the ears of Samuel and the mind of Eli to be connected to the Lord. The entire incident begins with an important introduction to this situation in the Bible. It says in 1 Samuel 3: 2 -4a, "One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel."
Today, I would like to encourage you with this passage. It is not about setting the alarm, and it's not about pausing everything you do to pray. But it is about preparedness. How prepared are you, even when you go to sleep, to hear the voice of God? It is different during the daytime. Our minds, hearts and bodies are active. But the night nears, and everything gets into a passive and pensive mode. Instead of doing things, we spend time reflecting on what we had done during the day. Rather than preparing for something, we tend to summarise and end the day. There comes an empty phase in your thoughts between today's summary and tomorrow's plans. And this could be the moment that the Lord wants to call you by name and speak to you. This could be the time of emptiness when the Lord fills it with a new vision, a new agenda. How prepared are you? I encourage you today to spend time in the evenings preparing yourself for the night. Thank God for the day while you prepare your ear, heart and mind to listen to the Lord. A silent evening prayer at six would be a great time for thanksgiving and submission. And today, you could begin by just setting your alarm.
May the blessings of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us as we continue to seek Him.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
🎶
"Hushed was the evening hymn"
by Seventh Day
