At church on Sunday my friend Dick, who is 104 years old, was explaining how when he was a child in Cle Elum, Washington his family had a crystal radio set. They would patiently move the needle until it picked up a radio station. The static-y signal faded in and out and the dial would need to be continuously adjusted to try to hold on to the transmission. Sometimes they picked up a station playing music, which was cause for great joy. Often these signals were transitory and from far away in the Midwest and had reached rural western Washington state by bouncing off of the ionosphere. They provided a connection to a larger world.

It struck me that this an apt analogy for how we listen for God's voice. God is not distant and is always communicating with us in a multitude of ways. But there is much noise and static and distraction in our lives which often makes it hard for us to discern God's "signal." We have to listen carefully, which requires intentionally and patiently making adjustments in order to remain tuned in.