My friend Frank, born on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, was reading through 1 Samuel when he encountered a familiar passage in the third chapter.

Young Samuel, living in the church, assisting Eli, the priest, hears a voice calling his name late at night. He runs threes time to Eli, but it was not Eli who called him.  Eli understands and instructs Samuel to respond to the voice, saying, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

And when God calls again, Samuel responds. “Speak, Lord … “

St. Kitts, like all islands in the Caribbean, is whipped often by harsh tropical storms, including hurricanes.  When the storms approached, Frank’s family would gather and his grandmother would whisper Samuel’s prayer

“Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

I love the image of a family listening for God in the storm.

Instinctively, when storm clouds approach, when the wind rises, when anxiety accelerates, we cry urgently to God. Help us! Save us! Protect us! Lord, quiet the storm. Lord, show us a way through it! Lord, we need you now! We fill the moments with our words, spoken or unspoken.

But Grandmother’s response to the storm is simpler. She trusts God to know the circumstances, to feel our fear, to anticipate our urgency, and respond.

“Speak, Lord … “

I don’t think it is wrong to lift urgent prayer during a storm. A chattering prayer brings God to the surface of our hearts and reminds us of His presence, His love and light. Entire Psalms, it seems, were composed during storms.

But quiet, patient, resolute certainty in a storm seems wonderfully faithful.

I tell people that my favorite piece of scripture is Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

If we believe He is with us, perhaps we don’t need to cry so loudly. Maybe we can respond with a whisper, “Speak, Lord … “ and listen.

(Photograph by Bill Utterback)