I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me . . .
Habakkuk 2:1 (ESV)

The audiologist who welcomed me into her office took her time explaining which tests she would conduct to determine hearing loss. Her graph, where she would plot my data, intrigued me. I was game for this new adventure.

Once inside her sound booth, she adjusted my earphones and handed me a small device. Each time I heard a sound, however faint, I was to press the beeper.

The beeps sounded first in one ear and then the other. I detected maybe seven different frequencies of various volumes. Awaiting each tone, I focused all my attention so I could accurately communicate my hearing. Some were so faint, in the absolute quiet of the booth, that I wasn’t sure whether I really heard anything.

I have never listened for anything with this degree of concentration. Totally certain that I would hear a tone, I waited patiently.

It was during the subsequent and different test that my heart made the connection between listening for God and being certain that He would speak.

I often return to verses about being a watchman, seeking God and listening for Him. But now I have a new picture of just how I want to be attentive to Him. For we belong to a God who does speak.