In the Law Enforcement community, there is something called EOW – End of Watch. It’s when a cop signs off for the last time over their radio. It’s also used to describe an officer who has died in the line of duty.

Watching is the primary job of a police officer. During my time serving as an officer, I worked a variety of assignments from patrol to the detective bureau, and in various undercover assignments. Each assignment had watching as a critical element of my duties.

To protect and serve meant I had to be aware of people’s needs. Without developing a sense of watching, I would not be able to protect and serve people when they needed me most. Some who needed my service did not see the need for my presence and occasionally rejected my intervention.

Such is the case of a watchman in God’s Kingdom. We are called to watch until the end of our earthly watch is finished and the Lord calls us home. Being a watchman is a lifelong assignment. There will be times when what we see and describe as a warning is well-received. At other times, it will be rejected because it describes a reality some believers do not want to hear. In that rejection, negative labels will be spoken against in an attempt to reject what a watchman sees and speaks.

The Lord spoke to Isaiah, “I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually” (Isaiah 62:6). Jesus was a perfect watchman. He spoke of things His followers did not want to hear or see. He did it for their good. His prayers were never hindered by people’s rejection of His message.

The task of a watchman is to be aware of what is approaching God’s people, either the presence of God or the deceptive advance of the enemy. Being one of God’s watchmen requires that we not just watch what is coming, but we are called to declare God’s truth and pray for people to be receptive to what is coming – the good or the bad.

I’ve watched videos of cops transmitting their last radio broadcast at the end of their years of service. Some of these radio transmissions would overcome a cop with emotion. Their emotion was a mix of feelings, including what they had to sacrifice to do their job and whether people liked them or hated them.

The message of a watchman is not always welcomed by the hearers, but, if heeded, it will keep the Church spiritually healthy and aware of what is coming.