Our diligence in listening to hear well from God

While God will always speak plainly to us most of the time, it is our due diligence to be attentive enough in order to hear well.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 62:11, “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this…” This doesn’t necessarily mean God speaking the same thing multiple times. He may. But it simply means to hear well.

The Word of the Lord to Moses

Exodus 24:12,15-16,18
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.”

From the text above, Moses was to go up to God into the mount of Sinai to receive commandments and laws which he will teach the children of Israel, and he was given specific instruction on what to do when he got there. But while I was reading the text in Exodus 24:12, I missed something very important. I was marveled at the patience Moses exercised for six days without hearing a word from God even though he was in His presence! And so, I said to myself, “I’m going to read that again” because I want God to give me such patience.

As I sat down to read through again, I saw something in verse 12 I guessed Moses didn’t miss at first. Now, that is what I meant by hearing well.

Here is what verse 12 read. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, AND BE THERE: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.”

“…AND BE THERE…” I missed that part.

Before God said, “…I will give thee tables of stone”, there was a command — AND BE THERE: —

If Moses cannot listen to get the message of God right, how can he teach it to the children of Israel? The same question goes to every child of God. Hearing from God entails hearing well. At times, we can be quick to act instead of being careful to get the message right. Especially when we’re used to hearing His voice as in the case of Moses.

Being too eager to execute rather than the carefulness needed in exercising diligence through the process is what usually results in an undesirable outcome.

It is something to really ponder on and ask the Lord to help us hear him well. God didn’t just ask Moses to come unto him to receive the tables of stone containing God’s law, but he clearly told him to remain there, in other words, TO WAIT, when he comes. If I were to be Moses at that time, I would have left out this vital key to receiving the tables of stone from the Lord just because I didn’t hear well. It will only take the mercy of God to withhold judgment from me for sin by omission.

Moses was to wait in God’s presence.

“And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount…” (Exodus 24:16, 18)

He meticulously obeyed the voice of God. No wonder God found him to be the man to handle the task of taking the children of Israel out of Egypt to Canaan land because it has to do with a lot of listening to God to fulfill such ministry. This is true not just for Moses alone but to every child of God. If you are a child of God, you need a lot of listening to God to get to that expected end He desires for you according to Jeremiah 29:11.

I think we should read our Bibles more often. Not as a ritual but to get those things we missed before. If I had not read that verse again, I would still be ignorant of those three most important words in the verse — “AND BE THERE”

 

Conditions for Hearing From God

Are there conditions to hearing from God, and if there are, what are they? Below are some of the conditions required in order to hear from God

– Sonship: God will speak based on the relationship he has with a person. If a man has no personal relationship with God through salvation, God will not be speaking to that man on a personal level. And even if he does, his voice may not be heard or understood

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (John 10:27, 5)

If you’re not a child of God, it is hard to hear or interpret the voice of God. You don’t know his ways nor his operations, so you can’t get his message.

– An Open and Clear Mind: Open-mindedness as used here is the state where the mind is ready to be enlightened by God’s message at any time. Such a message might seem new or strange to us. (Ref. Acts 10:13-16) Secondly, the mind needs to be clear and free from inner distractions or noise in order to hear God. (Ref. 1 Kings 19:9-12) When these two things are in place, external noise cannot stop you from hearing the voice of God, though that should be considered also.

– Desire: When we don’t desire God, we don’t attract him. God speaks to those that truly desire him from the heart, not by mere confession with the lips. David prayed, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” (Psalm 73:25)

When we are always desirous of God like David, we will not be left without his voice and guidance all through our lifetime

– Meekness and Willingness to Obey: Another condition to hearing from God is a meek and willing heart. When there is a willingness in the heart, obedience is not far away. Such heart is ready to hear the voice of God. But where the will to obey the leading of God is not found, he will not speak.

Psalm 25:9 says, “The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his ways.”

 

Receiving the Tables of Stones

What does it take to receive the tables of stone from the Lord? It takes listening to God and obedience – implicit obedience. Whatever in life we want from God until we meet the requirement(s) we cannot obtain it. Whether it’s salvation, the requirement remains repentance and turning away from sin as we come to God for forgiveness through his Son. If we are not repenting and not turning away from sin, neither can we receive the salvation of the Lord.

Related: The Unpardonable Sin: EXPLAINED

If we on the other hand desire a specific miracle or healing from the Lord but refuse to manifest the needed faith that receives the healing power of God, we will remain in that condition.

Related: He Sees Our Faith By Our Actions

For Moses to receive the tables of stone containing the law of God, he has to also meet all the requirements given by God. First, he was to go up to God to the mount. He will not receive it if he remained in the tent among the congregation. Secondly, he has to wait in God’s presence after getting to mount Sinai. Vs. 16
Moses waited six days in God’s presence before hearing from God again.

Moses was very meticulous in following the Lord.

For us to fulfill the assignment God has placed in our hands, we have to exhibit the characteristics of Moses — Attentive, Obedient, Meek, Meticulous, and Totally Dependent on God.

Moses did not go further into the mount until he heard the voice of God on the seventh day asking him to Come. He remained at the mouth of the mount

Patience is a major characteristic of God. For us to have a successful walk with God, we must learn to wait.  And any man that cannot wait cannot walk with God

Related: The Blessings of Waiting for the Lord

Do you hear from God? If not, have you fulfilled the conditions for hearing from Him? God has given every man an assignment to fulfill, and a desirable outcome needs to exhibit the characteristics found in the life of Moses