Day 120

1 Samuel 3–4 | Acts 15:1–21

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It didn’t start with thunder.

It started with stillness.

“The word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.” (1 Samuel 3:1)

Samuel wasn’t a prophet yet. He was just a boy. In a corrupt system. Surrounded by spiritual leaders who had grown blind to the presence of God. Going through the motions in a tabernacle that hadn’t heard from heaven in a long time.

And then one night, the silence broke.

Not with spectacle. But with a whisper.

“Samuel.”

Three times he thought it was Eli.

Three times he missed the voice.

Until Eli finally realized what was happening—and told him what to say next time.

“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

And that’s when everything changed.

When the Silence Becomes Normal

Sometimes the noise in my life is deafening. Other times, it’s the silence that hurts more.

Because the silence makes me wonder: Is God still speaking? Or have I just stopped listening?

I know how to go through the motions. I know how to show up, pray, write, serve. But that doesn’t mean I’m always listening. Not really.

Sometimes I treat spiritual life like a treadmill—set the pace, hit the program, keep moving.

But what I really need? Stillness.

The kind that says: Speak, Lord. I’m done talking. I’m ready to hear again.

The Yoke We Add

Acts 15 drops us into a different kind of noise—religious debate.

New Gentile believers were coming to faith, and some Jewish Christians wanted them to follow the old rules: circumcision, law-keeping, yoke after yoke after yoke.

But Peter stands up and says no.

“Why do you test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10)

That verse hit me today. Because I’ve been wearing some yokes lately God never asked me to carry.

The yoke of being productive enough. Spiritual enough. Strong enough to hold it all together.

I don’t hear God well when I’m trying to impress Him. I don’t hear Him clearly when I’m trying to earn what He already gave freely.

And Peter reminds us:

“It is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (Acts 15:11)

Not through performance.

Not through yokes.

Not through striving.

Just grace.

When Listening Feels Like Starting Over

This is Day 120. Which means I’ve done this 120 times now—sitting down, opening the Word, writing through it.

And yet, some days, it still feels like I’m just learning to listen.

I read.

I type.

I pray.

But I’m still tempted to talk over the whisper. Still tempted to tell God what I need from Him and when I need it.

Today, though, I’m trying to quiet down again.

To stop managing my spiritual life like a checklist and start receiving it like a conversation.

Like Samuel.

Like Peter.

Like someone who’s done trying to prove himself and is finally ready to hear again.

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Lord, I want to listen. Strip away the noise. Remove the yokes I’ve added. Let Your Word break through whatever silence I’ve accepted as normal. Make me a person who doesn’t just talk about You—but listens to You. Who doesn’t just work for You—but walks with You. Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.

Amen.