Hearing from God

We all want to hear from God. But sometimes we get frustrated when we don't. I was reading Exodus 25 about God's instructions concerning the Ark of the Covenant - the item in Ancient Israel's temple that physically signified God's presence among. They are to build the ark by God's specific directions and this is how it ends:

Exodus 25:22 (ESV) There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

What you have in these instructions about the Ark is a physical type or picture of how we can come to hear God's voice. Looking to God's instructions to Moses we have clear principles as to what God wants from us in order to hear Him regularly. 

First God tells them:

Exodus 25:11 (ESV) You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it.

The Ark was to be covered with gold. Gold is a symbol of royalty and honor. If we want to hear from God we need value Him and His Word. Are we putting Him first in our lives? Or is He an afterthought? Is He the one we go to first or only when nothing else is around? If you want to hear from God, value His voice! Give Him the honor in your life that He is worth! 

Second God tells them:

Exodus 25:12–14 (ESV) You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them.

This seems strange but they were to leave poles in the rings in order to carry the ark. They were to build into the ark a carrying mechanism SO THAT the ark would not be touched. Why? Because God is holy and awesome! Later in the history of Israel, a man named Uzzah will touch the Ark to steady it and die immediately. God is not to be trifled with or handled in a half-hazard way. If you want to hear from God, revere Him! Revering Him means to tremble at His word. That when He speaks you pay attention closely and DO what He says! 

Isaiah 66:2 (ESV) But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

You know you revere God's Word when you silence everything around you to make sure you don't miss a thing! God will speak, but He speaks to those who REVERE Him.

Thirdly, God tells them:

Exodus 25:16 (ESV) And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you.

Moses was to put the tablets of testimony - the 10 commandments in the Ark to remind God's people that nothing we hear from Him will ever contradict the laws He has given! If you want to hear from God, honor His laws! Do not treat lightly the ten commandments. Respect that His way as THE way. Put His pattern for living in the place of other people's opinions or culture's dictates. The world's system USUALLY contradicts God's paths. That is to be expected. God speaks to those who disregard the world's standards and honor His! 

Fourth, God says:

Exodus 25:21 (ESV) And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you.
Remember that God's voice to you comes by way of His mercy. You don't deserve it and therefore you cannot demand it! It's a act of His grace to a sinner undeserving. That doesn't mean God doesn't want to talk to you! No, God wants to talk to you more than you want Him to talk to you. But all His speaking to us is a sign of His unlimited grace and mercy.

It is these specific instructions that show Moses how God will speak to them. They apply to us as well today. Value His voice, Honor His voice, Trust His Commandments, and stand on His Mercy! That is how we come to hear Him clearly in our lives!