God provided Noah specific instruction on how to build the ark just as He provides us specific instruction on how to build our relationship with Him. Scripture tells us we are to forsake our own desires and follow God’s will. Scripture is our ultimate instruction manual, and we should turn to it daily in order to learn how to strengthen our faith and build our lives in a fashion that reflects the characteristics of our loving God.
Through the prophet Moses, according to the Book of Exodus, God instructed Moses to build the Ark during his 40-day stay upon Mount Sinai. He was shown the pattern for the tabernacle and furnishings of the Ark, and told that it would be made of shittim wood (also known as acacia wood) to house the Tablets of Stone.The Lord also commanded the children of Israel to build a tabernacle that would be a sanctuary where the Lord could dwell among His people. He gave detailed instructions for the building of each item that would furnish the tabernacle
Is God speaking to you? God speaks to us through the glory of His Creation. Additionally, He speaks to us through His Holy Spirit and through dreams, visions and our thoughts. Further, God will use events and circumstances to speak with us. More often than not, God uses the people He has placed in our lives to speak to us.
- God can speak through circumstances. God spoke to Jonah first with His voice, but Jonah didn’t heed God’s voice. So God spoke to Jonah through circumstances—first, being swallowed by a great fish, and second when a vine grew up to shade Jonah, and then the vine withered (Jonah 1–4). We need to examine our circumstances and ask if we are hearing the Lord through these circumstances. Ask yourself two questions: What’s happening in my life right now? What is the Lord telling me through these circumstances?
- God can speak through wise counsel. This is shown all through Proverbs.When we seek godly counsel we can hear the voice of God. This counsel always complements Scripture. When we seek wise, godly mentors in the Lord, we don’t ask them to hear from God for us, but to prayerfully confirm that what we’ve heard from the Lord is correct.
- God can speak through peace. I mentioned Colossians 3:15 in an earlier chapter—that God’s peace can rule in our hearts. The word rule doesn’t simply mean to merely exist. It means to reign or to be a deciding factor. If we don’t have peace about a decision, then it isn’t from the Lord. Don’t move forward unless you have peace.?
- God can speak through people. This pattern is shown all throughout the Bible.God brings wise and godly people into the lives of others and speaks through them.
- God can speak through dreams and visions. This pattern is shown in the lives of Joseph, Solomon, Jacob, Peter, John, and Paul.This method is available to us today too (see Acts 2:17where Peter quotes Joel 2:28).
- God can speak through our thoughts. Amos 4:13 says that God makes known His ways to us through our thoughts. In Matthew 1:19–21, while Joseph thought about things, God spoke to him. We need to be careful here because not every thought in our minds comes from the Lord. Thoughts can also be placed in our minds from the Devil. And we can simply think up things on our own. So every time we get a thought, we need to judge if it is from God. Does it align with Scripture? Does it in any way contradict the character of God?
- God can speak through natural manifestations. Romans 1:18–20 states clearly that God can make Himself known by nature. The voice of God can be revealed through mountains, water, trees, meadows, landscapes, and more. In John 12:27–30, God spoke from heaven, but when God spoke in this incident, some people who stood nearby thought they were hearing thunder. There’s the possibility that this could happen today. Sometimes if we hear thunder, or see floods or hurricanes or high winds or volcanoes, it may actually be the voice of God.
- God can speak through supernatural manifestations. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush (Ex. 3:1–4). He spoke to Gideon through a fleece (Judg. 6:37–40). He spoke to Saul on the Damascus road through a bright light (Acts 9:1–5). He even spoke to Balaam through a donkey (Num. 22:1–35).
- God can speak through the Bible. Scripture is always the voice of God in the general sense that God inspired the words of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16). God can also speak specifically to us through the Bible, by drawing a particular passage to our attention, because the Word of God is living and active (Heb. 4:12).
- God can speak through a whisper. We discussed in an earlier chapter how God can speak through a still small voice. He spoke this way to Elijah (1 Kings 19:12. Again, the point here is that if we are going to hear God’s voice, then we need to listen to Him. We need to tune in to the frequency of heaven and hear the voice of God. Note the warning held out in Jeremiah 7:13: “While you have been sinning, I have been trying to talk to you, but you refuse to listen” (CEV). Essentially, God is saying to the Israelites that they did any number of wicked things, and He was speaking and speaking to them repeatedly about it, but they did not listen to Him.
The scriptures teach, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). When you turn to God, He promises to answer your prayers—but sometimes it can be hard to recognize His voice. Your pastor, fellowship members, other believers, missionaries can teach you how to identify and understand answers from God so you can get divine direction for your life.
“My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.” (Proverbs 2:1-2 NLT)
Let’s pray together for help listening to God’s voice.
Dear Lord,
Forgive me for letting the noise of this world drown out Your voice. I’ve felt distant from You, and I long to draw near to my Heavenly Father once again. I know You are here with me now as I pray. Help me sense Your Loving Presence and listen as You speak.
In the busyness of daily life, I sometimes forget to stay connected to You through prayer. Help me align my heart with Yours. I choose to find moments throughout my day to spend with You, listening to what You have to say. Help me tune into Your Voice above all else. Thank You for the peace that comes when I take the time to really listen. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.