Prayer in the Bible is to make requests of God. That requestor needs an answer. Solomon asked, "'O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place'" (2Ch 6:40). Attention is when you take note of someone or something that is important or interesting. Daniel said, "'I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications'" (Da 9:3). In the Old Testament there were designated prophets who received messages from God. Eli told Samuel, "'If He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening''"(1Sa 3:9). God used prophets to minister to Israel. Samuel said, "'Far be it from me that I shall sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way'" (12:23). "The people said to Samuel, 'Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, so that we may not die'" (:19). Notice it refers to "your God" and not ours. "So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day" (:18). An emergency precipitated Israel's predicament and they appealed to Samuel, "'Do not cease to cry out . . . that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines'" (7:8). "Samuel cried to the Lord" (:9) and "the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them" (:10). In this case he cried out as opposed to calling out. Crying out can be partly a passionate, almost inarticulate expression. It is a loud, emotional request to be rescued. God said to Samuel, "''I regret that I have made Saul king' . . . and Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all night" (15:11). Other leaders had found themselves in the same situation. "They said to me, 'The remnant there . . . are in great distress and reproach. When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the Lord of heaven'" (Neh 1:3-4). Moses said, "'I fell down before the Lord the forty days and nights'" (Dt 9:25).