I. The prophet Habakkuk defines for us what the position of that man's mind must be, who would catch the deep, still messages of which everything is full what it is to be waiting for heavenly signs. (1) There must be an individuality and solitude; you must be, and feel, alone with God. (2) You must be found in your own proper duty, whatever it be, and in that duty faithful. (3) You must carry on your watch at a high level of thought. (4) In the watch, and on the tower, you must be patient. (5) There must be a confident anticipation that something is coming, that God is going to speak, and that God will speak.
II. There are some occasions on which we should especially wait, and when we may so calculate with an entire confidence on the speaking of God that those passages of life ought to be singled out. (1) One is, after prayer. How many answers have been missed, simply because we did not follow our petitions with a heavenward eye, and with the calm waitings of expectant faith! Remember, when you pray, go at once from the footstool to the tower. (2) Another time when we should watch well to see what God will say unto us is just before we are entering upon any important duty, or work done for God, or undertaking any enterprise. (3) Afflictions are the seasons for very earnest listenings. Depend upon it, whenever a cloud rolls over you, there is a voice in that cloud.
III. Whatever else there may be in the voice, long listened for, when it comes there will certainly be three things. God will comfort you; God will stimulate you; God will reprove you. He will comfort you that you are His child. He will stimulate you to do a child's work. And He will reprove you, because it is a child's portion at a faithful Father's hand.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons,6th series, p. 109.
References: Zechariah 2:1-4. Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes: Ecclesiastes to Malachi,p. 348. Zechariah 2:2. J. P. Chown, Old Testament Outlines,p. 275.