Prayer and the midnight oil ...

"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."
1 Samuel 3:9

There are times when we are being called in the middle of the night, much like when God was calling Samuel. Often it's to the task of prayer -- not intercessory prayer, but to prayer that is the solitude of the heart. It is the call to prayer that prompts us to say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."

When we find ourselves unsettled -- tossing and turning, wishing sleep would come -- perhaps it's not insomnia, but the Holy Spirit calling us away, saying, "Get up! There is still something for you to hear before the day has ended."

Once we have heard our Lord, then we may return and lay down in our place, hearing His word and experiencing the peace.

Grace and peace ... and still waiting on the Lord.